Luxury Branding. Valid term or misnomer?

Every entrepreneur strives for differentiation.
Every successful business owner knows the value of good branding.

Whether it's a small leather goods manufacturer, a coffee shop or a chocolate company, everyone wants to have a logo or mark that is distinguishable and memorable. 

Good branding is good branding. But what about the concept of luxury branding? What is the difference between that and just plain ol' regular branding? Experience. The right kind of experience.

Allow me to explain.

Take for example two car salesmen. One works for KIA and the other works for Aston Martin.

Both have been selling cars for over 10 years. Both are top sales people.
You are about to open a dealership selling Bentleys. You need to hire a sales person to handle the showroom. The KIA salesman is asking $50K a year. The Aston Martin guy is asking $50K a year. Who would you hire? 

When you are dealing with a high-end clientele, there are no compromises. You only have that one moment to make a good impression. It's the difference between making the sale or not.  It's a matter of resonating with your target audience or not.  High net worth individuals have seen it all. They have traveled the world, appreciate art, history and expect only the very best in sophisticated design, service and experience.

As a business owner, starting a new venture, are you willing to take the risk of hiring someone who has never dealt with your intended audience?
They may be good at what they do, but are they good for you?

So is luxury branding valid? Is there such a thing? I would argue yes and yes. In the world of luxury and exclusivity, the rules are different and the expectations are different. It's a matter of learning them, honing them and occasionally breaking them. (Insert wink emoji here).

Since starting my branding design firm I told myself I was not going to sell KIA cars.  Nothing wrong with KIA cars.

I simply wanted to focus on learning how to sell Astons.

Rose gold rotaries on an Aston Martin Stealth Vanquish