Massification
Massification is a strategy in the luxury-goods market in which brands seek to reach a broader consumer base while retaining aspects of the exclusivity associated with luxury. Common approaches include the creation of diffusion lines, which offer products at lower price points than a brand's main line, and brand extensions, in which an established brand name is applied to additional product categories.
The expansion of luxury brands into wider markets can involve tensions between accessibility and exclusivity. Strategies associated with massification include product-line and distribution management, Experiential marketing and celebrity endorsement. Research on luxury democratization has also examined how wider availability can affect perceptions of prestige, distinctiveness and purchase intentions, although these effects vary according to the strategy and consumer group.
Strategies
[edit]Diffusion lines
[edit]A diffusion line is a secondary product line created by a fashion designer or luxury brand for a broader market, generally at a lower price point than the main line. Research on the international expansion of designer fashion brands identified diffusion lines as one means of reaching mass-market consumers.[1]
Moore, Fernie and Burt described four stages of international market development among designer brands: wholesale distribution through department stores, the establishment of ready-to-wear flagship stores, larger diffusion-line flagships, and expansion into provincial cities. Their 2000 study also noted a tension between wider distribution and the exclusivity associated with designer brands, because extensive product-line expansion could weaken brand value.
Brand extensions
[edit]Brand extension involves using an established brand name to introduce products in another product category. Brand extensions are widely used by luxury companies, but their effects depend party on how consumers perceive the relationship between the parent brand and the extension. A 2013 study found that perceived fit between the parent brand and the extension was the strongest predictor of favorable evaluations for both luxury and non-luxury brands, followed by consumer involvement in the extension category.[2]
Extensions can also affect perceptions of the parent brand. Research on luxury branding has therefore examined the tension between expanding into more accessible product categories and preserving the exclusivity associated with the original brand.[2][3]
Value of luxury
[edit]Consumer perceptions of luxury goods are multidimensional. A cross-cultural study by Hennigs and colleagues identified four broad dimensions of luxury value: financial, functional, personal and social. Although the relative importance of these dimensions differed between consumers and countries, the study found similar underlying motivations for luxury consumption across the markets examined.[4]
Definitions of luxury have also changed as luxury goods have become accessible to a wider range of consumers. Kapferer and Bastien distinguish luxury from related concepts such as premium products, fashion and "trading up", arguing that luxury traditionally derives part of its value from social distinction as well as personal and hedonic experience. They also noted the proliferation of terms such as masstige, premium and hyperluxury reflecting disagreement over the boundaries of the luxury market.[3]
Marketing strategies
[edit]As luxury brands expand into wider markets, brand management may involve balancing growth with the exclusivity traditionally associated with luxury. Nueno and Quelch identified four areas of particular importance in managing the expansion: design and communications, product-line management, customer service and distribution-channel management.[5]
Experiential marketing
[edit]Experiential marketing seeks to involve consumers through direct or interactive experiences with a brand rather than relying solely on conventional advertising. In the context of luxury brands, Atwal and Williams argue that such experiences can help brands maintain consumer engagement as luxury products become accessible to broader markets.[6]
Atwal and Williams identify four forms of luxury-brand experience: entertainment, education, escapism and aesthetics.[6][7] These differ according to the degree of consumer involvement and the intensity of the experience, ranging from relatively passive activities such as attending fashion shows or viewing store interiors to highly participatory experiences such as luxury tourism.[6]
Celebrity endorsement
[edit]Celebrity endorsement is also used as a marketing strategy by luxury and consumer brands. Research by Anita Elberse and Jeroen Verleun found that athlete endorsements were generally associated with increases in brand-level sales and company stock returns, although the size of the effect varied according to the brand, endorser and subsequent performance of the athlete.[8][9]
Consequences
[edit]Research on luxury democratization suggests that wider availability can reduce the perceived distinctiveness and exclusivity of luxury goods and influence customers' purchase intentions.[10] Research published in 2025 found that democratization could reduce purchase intentions and increase brand-abandonment intentions among traditional luxury consumers, particularly where broader adoption diminished perceived exclusivity.[11] However, these effects are not uniform; research on co-branding as a masstige strategy found that such collaborations did not necessarily reduce the prestige or desirability of the luxury-brand partner.[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ Moore, Christopher M.; Fernie, John; Burt, Steve (2000-09-01). "Brands without boundaries – The internationalisation of the designer retailer's brand". European Journal of Marketing. 34 (8): 919–937. doi:10.1108/03090560010331414. ISSN 0309-0566.
- 1 2 Albrecht, Carmen-Maria; Backhaus, Christof; Gurzki, Hannes; Woisetschläger, David M. (2013). "Drivers of Brand Extension Success: What Really Matters for Luxury Brands". Psychology & Marketing. 30 (8): 647–659. doi:10.1002/mar.20635. ISSN 1520-6793.
- 1 2 Kapferer, Jean-Noël; Bastien, Vincent (2009-03-01). "The specificity of luxury management: Turning marketing upside down". Journal of Brand Management. 16 (5): 311–322. doi:10.1057/bm.2008.51. ISSN 1479-1803.
- ↑ Hennigs, Nadine; Wiedmann, Klaus-Peter; Klarmann, Christiane; Strehlau, Suzane; Godey, Bruno; Pederzoli, Daniele; Neulinger, Agnes; Dave, Kartik; Aiello, Gaetano; Donvito, Raffaele; Taro, Koyama; Táborecká-Petrovičová, Janka; Santos, Carmen Rodríguez; Jung, Jaehee; Oh, Hyunjoo (2012). "What is the Value of Luxury? A Cross-Cultural Consumer Perspective". Psychology & Marketing. 29 (12): 1018–1034. doi:10.1002/mar.20583. ISSN 1520-6793.
- ↑ Nueno, Jose Luis; Quelch, John A. (1998). "The mass marketing of luxury". Business Horizons. 41 (6): 61–68. doi:10.1016/S0007-6813(98)90023-4. ISSN 0007-6813.
- 1 2 3 Atwal, Glyn; Williams, Alistair (2009-03-01). "Luxury brand marketing – The experience is everything!". Journal of Brand Management. 16 (5): 338–346. doi:10.1057/bm.2008.48. ISSN 1479-1803.
- ↑ Pine, B. Joseph; Gilmore, James H. (1999). The Experience Economy: Work is Theatre & Every Business a Stage. Harvard Business Press. ISBN 978-0-87584-819-8.
- ↑ Elberse, Anita; Verleun, Jeroen (2012). "The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements". Journal of Advertising Research. 52 (2): 149–165. doi:10.2501/JAR-52-2-149-165. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Elberse, Anita; Verleun, Jeroen (2012-06-01). "The Economic Value of Celebrity Endorsements". Journal of Advertising Research. 52 (2). Taylor & Francis: 149–165. doi:10.2501/JAR-52-2-149-165. ISSN 0021-8499.
- ↑ "Sage Journals: Discover world-class research". Sage Journals. doi:10.1177/1069031X221126925. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ Shukla, Paurav; Rosendo-Rios, Veronica (2025). "When Luxury Loses Its Luster: How Democratization Affects Traditional Luxury Consumers". Psychology & Marketing. 42 (8): 2107–2120. doi:10.1002/mar.22219. ISSN 1520-6793.
- ↑ Quamina, La Toya; Xue, Melanie Tao; Chawdhary, Rahul (2023). "'Co-branding as a masstige strategy for luxury brands: Desirable or not?". Journal of Business Research. 158 113704. doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113704. ISSN 0148-2963.