Luxury Travel, Lifestyle and Marketing Trends

Americans have generally been a trusting lot, but things are changing, accelerated by the revelations over the past year of government corruption, Ponzi schemes and shenanigans in the most solid of financial institutions and banks. (Remember the expression, “you can bank on it” inspired confidence?) And not to mention the steady erosion of the trustworthiness index of an “unbiased “media as reflected in numerous polls. The bottom line is that consumer behavior has changed. Consumers are more cynical today and that cynicism is likely to grow as the recession continues.

Tourist destinations could take a lesson from Australia’s Tourism Queensland, which recently kicked off an impressively clever promotion, which instantly gained global attention: an international recruiting contest to fill what it calls The Best Job in the World, a highly paid, 6-month position living the high life, all the while spotlighting the Great Barrier Reef Islands.

Luxury brands used to be considered recession proof. However, we’ve all seen the figures by now, which prove that’s no longer the case. The fallout from a horrific holiday retail season has luxury marketers scrambling to redefine themselves to 2009’s consumers. Last year they had to embrace green bling, this year it’s the simplifiers – the new name to define luxury consumers and their value perceptions – who are simplifying their lives and wants.

What’s it going to take to sell high end vacation real estate in 2009? A lot, but it’s doable. Think of what it takes to get into a top college…

We love to write. Good writing is good public relations – a skill always listed as one of the top requirements for a solid PR recruit. There is nothing more satisfying to read (or receive) than a well-written release, which can dramatically increase sales, generate greater awareness, and enhance the image of a business or product.

Face it, flying these days can be only for the birds but airports around the world are offering fun and soothing options to make the travel experience a little less stressful. It used to be that the only way you could kill time at an airport before a flight was by eating fast food or drinking at a bar. Times have changed and nowadays you can indulge in a massage, mani/pedi or an oxygen session and even karaoke!

Popular wisdom among luxury brands is never to cut prices or risk devaluing the exclusive perception. But in these times when even the top economists and business leaders can’t seem to find the route to prosperity, everything is up for re-evaluation.

Luxury providers constantly need to challenge themselves to find new ways of meeting (even exceeding) their customers expectations. The saavy, wealthy and on-the-go constituents of Generation X and Generation Y expect more capability, flexibility and technology.

Many PR firms are grappling with social media and the micro-blogosphere, and how they relate to our business and industry. If you’re not familiar with tweets, tweetups or DM’s, you should be.

The last 45 days have dramatically ushered in a new era where suddenly, anything that smacks of excess comes across as tasteless and unseemly.