Coffee Chat #18: From Paris to New York: The New Language of Luxury Branding

‍Q: You have been working in the luxury and high-end branding industry for so long… What do you that actually creates value today: exclusivity, storytelling, community, or something else entirely?

A: Exclusivity still matters, but it is no longer the only thing that creates value. Today, luxury value comes from a mix of exclusivity, storytelling, emotional connection, and cultural relevance.

Exclusivity is not just about high prices or limited products. It is about access and experience. Clients want to feel known, understood, and part of something special. A private viewing, a personal message, or early access to a collection can feel more luxurious than simply owning an expensive item.

Storytelling is just as important. Luxury brands build meaning around their products. They talk about craftsmanship, heritage, design inspiration, and creative vision. A product becomes more than an object. It becomes a symbol of taste, identity, and belonging to a certain world.

Community is also growing in importance. Luxury customers often want to feel connected to a brand and to other people who share similar values. Events, cultural collaborations, and digital platforms help brands create this sense of belonging.

What really creates value today is emotional meaning. When a brand makes someone feel confident, unique, or culturally connected, that is when luxury becomes powerful.

For students or entry-level professionals, this means learning to think beyond the product. Ask what the brand stands for, what world it creates, and how people feel when they engage with it.

Q: You work closely with creative leadership. What’s the hardest part of turning abstract creative vision into concrete marketing execution?

A: Creative leaders often speak in emotions, moods, and cultural references. These ideas are inspiring, but they are not yet a campaign plan.

Marketing teams then have to translate that vision into clear decisions:

• What should the photos look like?
• Which platforms should we use?
• What kind of influencers or partners match this mood?
• What tone of voice should the copy have?

If the translation is too literal, the campaign can lose its magic. If it stays too abstract, nothing moves forward and production gets stuck.

The real skill is being able to understand the creative intention and then express it in practical ways. For example, if the vision is intimate and raw, the marketing team might choose natural lighting, less retouching, smaller events, and partnerships with niche cultural figures instead of big mainstream celebrities.

Q: You’ve lived in 2 of the most iconic cities. How has moving from Paris to New York changed your perspective on branding, creativity, and what audiences respond to? ‍

A: Moving from Paris to New York City did not completely change how I see branding, but it sharpened my awareness of context and audience.

Both cities care deeply about creativity, culture, and strong points of view. In both places, audiences respond to brands that feel authentic and creatively confident. The difference is more about emphasis and rhythm than about opposite tastes.

In Paris, I noticed a strong appreciation for subtlety and mood. Campaigns can take their time. There is space for atmosphere, visual storytelling, and references that are not fully explained. Audiences are comfortable engaging with brands that leave room for interpretation.

In New York, the same creative depth can exist, but it often needs to connect a little faster. People are exposed to a huge amount of content every day, so clarity and energy matter. A strong visual idea or clear message helps the audience quickly understand why a brand is relevant, while still leaving room for style and personality.

I also became more aware that audiences in both cities are globally influenced. People follow the same designers, artists, and digital trends. The gap between markets is smaller than we sometimes imagine. The key is not to stereotype audiences, but to pay attention to local pace, media habits, and social context.

‍Q: The 21st century is moving at a speedy rhythm and it’s hard to predict what will happen next. However, what challenges do you think your industry will face in the next five to ten years?

A: One of the biggest challenges is keeping up with how fast technology is changing. Tools powered by artificial intelligence, automation, and data are transforming how teams work, how decisions are made, and how customers are reached. The challenge is not just learning the tools, but understanding when and why to use them. Human judgment, creativity, and ethics still matter a lot.

Another challenge is attention. People are constantly exposed to content, ads, and information. Cutting through the noise in a meaningful way is getting harder. This pushes companies to focus more on relevance, quality, and real value rather than just volume.

‍Q: For students interested in marketing, what’s the real difference between studying marketing and practicing it in a professional setting?

A: Studying marketing gives you the language and the frameworks. Practicing marketing teaches you how to work with real people, real limits, and real pressure.

In school, marketing feels structured. You learn models, analyze successful campaigns, and work with clear case studies. Problems often have logical solutions, and you have time to think.

In the professional world, marketing is much more complex. You deal with limited budgets, tight deadlines, and different opinions from leadership, sales teams, legal teams, and creative teams. Not every good idea can be executed, and not every decision is purely strategic. Sometimes it is political or practical.

Another big difference is how you work with data. In school, you often look at results after everything is finished. At work, you monitor performance in real time and make adjustments while a campaign is still running. You rarely have perfect information, but you still have to make decisions.

The biggest shift is mindset. As a student, you focus on what the best strategy is. As a professional, you focus on what is the best strategy you can actually deliver with the time, money, and people you have.

‍Q: How can students and early career professionals stand out when everyone seems to have similar degrees and qualifications?

A: Standing out today is less about having a perfect resume and more about showing initiative, self awareness, and the ability to create value in real situations.

One powerful way to stand out is through practical experience, even if it is small. This could be running social media for a student club, helping a local business with marketing, organizing an event, or building a small online project. Build Projects by Open Avenues are a great way to build your portfolio and start creating your own brand. These experiences give you stories to tell in interviews, and they show that you can turn ideas into action.

Another differentiator is curiosity. Employers notice people who go beyond what is required. That might mean taking extra courses, attending industry events, following trends, or reaching out to professionals to learn about their roles. Curiosity signals motivation and long term potential.

Finally, self awareness matters. Knowing your strengths, your areas for growth, and the kind of environments where you do your best work helps you make smarter choices and present yourself more authentically.

Students should remember that early in your career, you are not expected to know everything. What makes you stand out is showing that you are proactive, thoughtful, and ready to learn quickly in real world settings.