Media Rationale and Publicity of the Christian Louboutin...

Media rationale and publicity Ever since Christian Louboutin opened his flagship store in 1991, his brand has pursued a marketing strategy that has focused upon shoes as art rather than shoes as functional objects of clothing. Most of his shoes are famously uncomfortable, and when speaking to a fashion reporter from the New Yorker, Louboutin stated he was proud of the difficulty that women had ambulating in his footwear (Collins 2011: 2). However, unlike some luxury or high-end fashion shoe companies, Louboutin does not market his shoes as trendy. He is uninterested in shoes that are flat, regardless of the current vulgarities of consumer demand. Instead, his shoes are intended to be an assault on the eyes and on good taste, incorporating motifs from Salvador Dali and David Lynch into their design. To promote his shoes, rather than price them at a variety of price points, Louboutin has kept the pricing extremely high at every level of the brand. This has cemented his reputation as a luxury brand of note. His shoes have topped Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) since he became a breakout star in 2007 onwards (Collins 2011:2). To wear a custom Louboutin means that a consumer has the ability to pay as much as $10,000 for a shoe with expensive fur or jewels. Louboutin sells more than five hundred thousand pairs of shoes a year, at prices ranging from three hundred and ninety-five dollars, for an espadrille, to six thousand, for a super-platform pump covered in thousands ofShow MoreRelatedMarketing Management 14th Edition Test Bank Kotler Test Bank173911 Words   |  696 Pagesdisintermediation D) cross-selling E) customization Answer: A Page Ref: 10 Objective: 3 Difficulty: Moderate 29) Companies address needs by putting forth a ________, a set of benefits that they offer to customers to satisfy their needs. A) brand B) value proposition C) deal D) marketing plan E) demand Answer: B Page Ref: 10 Objective: 3 Difficulty: Moderate 30) During market segmentation analysis, the marketer identifies which segments present the greatest opportunity. These segments