2017 - A Complex Year For Luxury Brands
After two decades when annual economic growth averaged nearly six percent, Goldman Sachs predicts economic growth for 2017 will be up only slightly more than 2016's 2.5 percent. Bank of America predicts three straight years of modest declines of home value starting in 2017. Factor in European turmoil after the Brexit vote, the unsettling polarization of America in the aftermath of one of the most contested elections in U.S. history and the predictions for the 2017 economy are, if not bleak, at best mixed. Even so, the top one percent are getting richer and spending at unprecedented rates. The still-anemic spending of the aspirational customer (household incomes up to $300,000) has caused luxury brands to aggressively focus on marketing to their very best customers ($1 million liquid and up). The “new normal” for the luxury market is growth of 3 percent to 4 percent, and total luxury spending surpassed 1 trillion euros by the end of 2015, led by accelerating sales of luxury cars, hotels and fine art, according to Bain. Traditional brand loyalty is waning as the best luxury buyers become more discerning and demanding. Online buying and social media continue to challenge brands to be more innovative in their marketing. As the disparity between ‘the haves’ and ‘the have nots’ continues to widen, public pressure on luxury brands to give back and keep a sharp eye on manufacturing, environmental and corporate citizenship practices will continue to increase.
Temperature Taking: The Year That Was, The Year to Come
about the speakers
Adam Owett
President
Arcade Creative Group
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Adam Owett joined Sony Music Entertainment as Senior Vice President of CreativeServices in 1999, and has since overseen every aspect of the creative output for the company.
Adam has won many prestigious industry awards including Clios, Tellys, Effies and Mobius Awards and has also been nominated for a Grammy. His success in multiple creative fields has given him invaluable insight into culture and the future state of advertising, content and entertainment.
Anne Dayton
VP, Sr. Director of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development
Christie's/Collectrium
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Anne Dayton is the VP, Sr. Director of Sales, Marketing, and Business Development. She comes with 18 years of international sales and marketing experience, most recently from Christie’s. Dayton is responsible for overseeing Collectrium’s relationship with Christie’s, focusing on integration and client engagement. She is working closely with the global client facing teams to drive awareness and adoption of Collectrium services. Dayton is also leading the launch strategy for Collectrium in Asia as well as overseeing brand marketing and communications. Since joining Christie’s New York almost a decade ago, Dayton has partnered with specialist departments to execute marketing programs and events. In addition to holding posts in Christie’s London and Hong Kong offices, she oversaw the marketing strategy for the Ellsworth Collection and for the Asian Art business in the EU and America’s. Prior to joining Christie’s, she held senior roles in several Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies, achieving profitability targets and managing sales and marketing teams. Dayton graduated from Emory University and holds master’s degrees in finance and business from Thunderbird University and ESADE on Barcelona, Spain respectively. She has lived and worked in multiple countries across Asia, Europe, and Latin America and is fluent in Spanish.
Claudia Cividino
CEO Americas
Bally
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Claudia Cividino developed her luxury brands know-how by working for storied brands, such as Ferragamo and Barneys New York. She was hired by Pierre Bergé to lead YSL in the U.S. and continued with the brand for many years, through its acquisition by the Gucci Group and further significant brand growth. In 2009 she was asked to join Coach to lead the launch and development of the Reed Krakoff brand, and later joined Prada/Miu Miu as SVP of the Americas and Canada, overseeing all business and communications functions.
Claudia was appointed CEO Americas for Bally in February 2015, where she oversees all business
functions for the U.S. Canada, and South America, as well as sitting on the executive committee.
Ms Cividino studied in Italy and the U.S. and received an International MBA from IE, Instituto de
Empressa in Madrid. Claudia is deeply involved in the mentorship of young female entrepreneurs and in
2006, she was vice chair for the prominent Executive Women in Fashion Council with FIT, where she was responsible for engaging conversations and workshops with executive leaders in fashion and related industries.
Claudia is a member of the board of directors for LLX Global Business Services and sits on the governing council for the Shambala Meditation Center of New York.
Jean-Marc Bellaiche
Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development
Tiffany and Co.
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Jean-Marc Bellaiche is Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business development for Tiffany & Co. In this role, he is responsible for defining strategic priorities for the company and overviews new business initiatives including watches, leather goods, eyewear and fragrance.
Jean-Marc joined Tiffany in 2014 and brings with him over 20 years of experience in the luxury sector. Previously, he was Senior Partner at the Boston Consulting Group, where he was leading the global Luxury, Fashion, Beauty and Department Stores practice and was implementing competitive business strategies for global clients in these sectors.
Jean-Marc has a degree in econometry engineering from École Centrale Paris and an MBA from the global business school INSEAD.
Othmar Mueller von Blumencron
Vice President Sales & Marketing,
VIPdesk Connect
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Founded in 1997, VIPdesk today is a recognized leader in providing tailor-made customer service operations for luxury and premium brands. VIPdesk’s solutions are not only designed to deliver exceptional customer experiences but also to provide valuable real-time insights allowing companies to better align their Marketing mix with their specific customer’s needs. By managing over 2 million customer interactions per year, VIPdesk has direct access to the pulse of today’s affluent customer and emerging market trends. VIPdesk was formerly also known as a global provider of white glove concierge services but in 2010 has spun off that side of the business into a separate business unit today known as Aspire Lifestyles, also a member of the LMC.
Born and raised in northern Germany, Othmar earned his PhD in Marketing from the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland which laid the foundation for an international career in Media, Internet and Customer Service industries. Throughout his multifaceted career, he initiated, managed and implemented major strategic initiatives in Europe, the US and other Global markets. After having held leadership positions at Bertelsmann and America Online, Othmar most recently was instrumental in growing VIPdesk Connect into one of the most respected BPO companies to handle end to end customer service solutions for premium and luxury brands in the US. Othmar brings hands on business experience and powerful academic credentials to every project he is involved with. Based on his deep understanding of consumer and industry trends, Othmar has the unique ability to identify new market opportunities for his clients and capitalize on them with lasting financial returns.
Aside from his love for his profession, Othmar is also a passionate sailor who has participated in the Olympic Games and won numerous international competitions across the globe. When not trying to improve the customer service for his clients, you most likely find Othmar with his family and friends sailing, skiing or enjoying other outdoor activities.
Sandy Edry
The Edry Ream
Keller Williams
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Temperature Taking: The Year That Was, The Year to Come
about the brands
Arcade is a New York-based advertising and entertainment agency, born out of Sony Music. We help brands build and sustain cultural relevance by creating authentic and ownable identities, campaigns and cross-platform experiences. Our unique music DNA gives us an organic understanding of consumers and unparalleled assets and global channels to reach them. Leveraging the power of music, we help some of the world’s most iconic brands define and evolve their essence and connect with new generations of fans.
The story of Bally begins in 1851 in Schönenwerd, Switzerland, when Carl Franz Bally and his brother Fritz began manufacturing hand-made leather shoes, setting the foundations of one of the first international luxury shoemakers. From the onset, Bally brought together both form and function in shoe design produced with excellence, boldness and creativity. 165 years later, the name Bally resonates throughout the world for authentic Swiss design and quality.
As a member of JAB Holdings, Bally is now headquartered in Caslano, Switzerland and London. Its main production facilities are set in Caslano for shoes, Florence for accessories and Ancona, in Italy, for ready-to-wear.
In 2013 CEO Frédéric de Narp joined Bally, appointing Design Director, Pablo Coppola a year later. Together they have been responsible for the company’s new design direction. 2016 will be a year of retail expansion for the brand with a planned fifteen-store global rollout, including new flagship stores in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Beijing. In 2017 a new flagship boutique will open on Madison Avenue. The new store concept, designed by David Chipperfield Architects, was first previewed in London’s New Bond Street store, which opened in 2014
For more than 175 years, Tiffany & Co. has been synonymous with luxury and style. Few American companies have such an illustrious history. It begins with a founder’s vision of beauty that was brought to life through unassailable standards of excellence. As awards and accolades accrued, Mr. Tiffany led his company’s growth from a New York City legend to a jeweler of international renown.
VIPdesk Connect provides outsourced customer service (contact center services) for iconic luxury brands. VIPdesk was founded in 1997 with the mission of providing exceptional customer experiences (via phone, email, chat and SMS) to clients requiring nothing less than the best service for their most valuable customers.
In March 2014, VIPdesk Connect was established to address the unique customer service needs of the luxury market. VIPdesk Connect is exclusively focused on tailoring customer service programs in the U.S. for brand-conscious companies including luxury retailers, travel, hospitality and consumer products companies. The primary focus is to match passionate college educated professionals (agents- called Brand Ambassadors) with the iconic brands they love.
Core values of authenticity, transparency and being helpful- support VIPdesk’s mission to provide customers with exceptional genuine service to create memorable experiences.
www.vipdeskconnect.com/
Keller Williams NYC has grown to more than 500 agents in just a few years in Manhattan. Internationally, Keller Williams Realty International is the largest brokerage by agent count, with more than 117,000 associates in 600+ offices across North America as well as 18 additional countries.