This report is a qualitative analysis of consumption behaviour of high net worth individuals (HNIs) and the marketing channels that are effective in the high-end travel industry. The travel industry caters to a vast audience and it becomes important to understand a specific niche to serve the customers better. For products targeted exclusively towards the HNI segment, conventional mass marketing methods may not be the best or the most efficient ways to reach out to the target market. Mass marketing may result in lower perceived exclusivity and brand image of the company, and it may result in lower efficiency in terms of marketing costs when the target market is merely a small percentage of the total population. The study utilizes articles and theories on consumption behavior as well as marketing theories aimed towards HNIs in order to understand and analyse the data gathered during interviews. The report outlines the factors that influence the customer behavior and consumption practices in the high-end travel industry and based on their behavior outlines effective marketing channels that could be used in order to reach the customers. The major factors influencing customer behavior such as family influence, their motivations to travel, influence of friends and groups as well as their expectations were analyzed based on which effective marketing channels were found such as agents or agencies, popular magazines as well as social media. This report provides a comprehensive understanding of the importance of recognizing the influential behavioral factors in the HNI community in order to develop an effective marketing strategy to help the companies reach their customers better.

Syftet men denna studie är att förklara om tidskonsumtion som uttryck för Conspicuous Consumption kan påverkas av en människas personlighet utifrån The Big Five”. Studien baseras på en kvantitativ forskningsmetod samt en enkätundersökning genom ett bekvämlighetsurval som genererade 478 svar. Insamlade data analyserades i statistikprogrammet Jamovi. Resultatet visar att hypotes 1, 3 och 4 korroboreras medan 2 och 5 falsifieras. Utöver hypoteserna framkom det att neuroticism är positivt relaterat till tidskonsumtion samt att personer med höga poäng på openness inte lägger någon vikt vid en upptagen eller ledig livsstil eftersom båda anses generera status. Slutsatsen visar att trots att lyxkonsumtion och tidskonsumtion båda genererar status och är en del av Conspicuous Consumption styrs utövandet inte av samma personlighetsdrag. Studiens teoretiska bidrag syftar till att komplettera den begränsade forskningen angående Conspicuous Consumption och tidskonsumtion. Studiens praktiska bidrag har som syfte att öka personers medvetenhet kring hur de konsumerar sin tid samt vad de konsumerar sin tid på eftersom tidskonsumtion kan leda till negativa konsekvenser. Vidare forskning bör undersöka om samtliga personlighetsdrag är positivt relaterade till tidskonsumtion. Det vore även intressant att se om en mer detaljerad The Big Five-undersökning resulterar i starkare kopplingar till tidskonsumtion. / The purpose is to explain whether time consumption as an expression Conspicuous Consumption can be affected by a human ́s personality based on The Big Five. This study is based on a quantitative research method and a online survey based by a convenience samplet that generated 478 responses. Collected data were analyzed in the statistical program Jamovi. The results show that hypotheses 1, 3 and 4 are corroborated while 2 and 5 are falsified. In addition to the hypotheses, it was found that neuroticism is positively related to time consumption and that people with high scores on openness doesn ́t care if it ́s a busy or a free lifestyle because both are considered to generate status. Although luxury consumption and time consumption both generate status and are within Conspicuous Consumption, the use is not determined by the same personality traits. The theoretical contribution of the study aims to supplement the limited research on Conspicuous Consumption and time consumption. The purpose of the study's practical contribution is to increase people's awareness of how they consume their time and what they consume their time on as time consumption can lead to negative consequences. Further research should investigate whether all personality traits are positively related to time consumption. It would also be interesting to see if a more detailed The Big Five survey results in stronger links to time consumption.

[pt] Este estudo pretende identificar e compreender o consumo e os significados do luxo associados ao shopping VillageMall com base no discurso de consumidoras do empreendimento. Oito mulheres com mais de 30 anos, moradoras da Barra da Tijuca e que consomem produtos e serviços de luxo frequentemente foram entrevistadas para cumprir com os objetivos da pesquisa. Foi perguntado o que pensam essas informantes sobre luxo, sua associação com o bairro da Barra e de que forma as práticas de consumo no shopping se diferenciam de outros da cidade do Rio de Janeiro. Partimos da compreensão de que o consumo é um fenômeno que cria significados na cultura através da posse, uso e trocas de bens e, a partir disso, constitui-se como um importante sistema de classificação, capaz de criar muros e pontes. Logo, a pesquisa evidencia abordagens que atestam diferenças entre as lógicas mercadológicas e culturais sobre a noção de luxo. Dessa forma, há a necessidade de relativizar o luxo em diferentes contextos culturais. Ainda assim, essa pesquisa estará embasada em perspectivas teóricas propostas por Veblen (1965 [1899]), Simmel (2008 [1905]), Rocha (2010), Lipovetsky e Roux (2005) e Rocha, Frid e Corbo (2016, 2016b). / [en] This study aims to identify and understand the consumption and the meanings of luxury associated with the VillageMall shopping based on the discourse of women consumers of the enterprise. Eight women over the age of 30, residents of Barra da Tijuca and who frequently consume luxury products and services were interviewed to meet the research objectives. It was asked what these informants think about luxury, its association with Barra s neighborhood and how consumption practices at VillageMall differ from others in the city of Rio de Janeiro. We started from the understanding that consumption is a phenomenon that creates meanings in culture through the possession, use and exchange of goods and, from that, it constitutes an important classification system, capable of creating walls and bridges. Therefore, the research highlights approaches that attest to diferences between market and cultural logics about the notion of luxury. Thus, there is a need to relativize luxury in different cultural contexts. Even so, this research will be based on theoretical perspectives proposed by Veblen (1965 [1899]), Simmel (2008 [1905]), Rocha (2010), Lipovetsky and Roux (2005) and Rocha, Frid and Corbo (2016, 2016b).

Luxury and premium brand affiliation have been and likely always will be about quality and status. Extant studies in marketing consumer behavior aim to explain the effects of hedonic drivers and how these shape consumer behavioral choices when choosing a brand. A consumer's subconscious hedonic motivations are thought to result in buying decisions. Their purchase decision may thus satisfy their emotional needs as explained in hedonic theory. With respect to the distinction between tangible products as “goods” and intangible products as “services,” it appears that luxury branding has always been seen as one characteristic of goods. Many consumers will purchase a luxury brand good for the pleasure of holding that good and the social status that it represents. But luxury branding in the service industry is a bit harder to grasp. Little research exists dealing with luxury branding in the service industry and, especially, in the real estate industry. Using this contradistinction once again, a luxury consumer will purchase either a good or service. A good is tangible and may be held by the consumer indefinitely, but a service is generally time restricted and might only be a one-time purchase transaction. To probe this issue in greater depth, luxury retail marketing research and consumer behavior will inform this study. Luxury branding, that is, perceived value versus actual value in real estate sales, will be analyzed. In that the real estate industry is specifically characterized by brokers at many brand levels, this study uses this characterization of brand level to determine if luxury branding of real estate brokers impact homes sale price (and/or other components of value) by returning a premium to one or more stakeholders in the value chain. With little extant literature in the luxury branding service sector and residential real estate brokerage activities, this research, in particular, considers empirical results from previous real estate and luxury branding research in other markets to set forth a framework for brokerage branding level in real estate. The resulting framework categorizes this as real estate brokerage firm “level,” typing brand into three levels based on service and price (for the purposes of the current work, the delineation will be binary, that is to say, either luxury brand representation or not). These brokerage brand levels are: (1) low, i.e., flat fee or discount firms; (2) middle, i.e., traditional, commission-based firms; and (3) high, i.e., luxury brokerage firms. Each category appeals to a different social class of consumers in that purchasing power is highly related to home listing and final sales pricing. Given that all firms have the same resources available for listing, marketing, and syndicating a home on the market, consumer perception, which is a key component in the branding research, also becomes central in the current study when considering residential real estate brokerage and brand levels, when studying the luxury home market and the high-end brokerage firms targeting the luxury class, an interesting question arises: Do these brokers add value? Or is it an inaccurate, but common perception? These questions are addressed in the research by analyzing the marketing characteristic of luxury real estate brokerage branding in one particular market in the Dallas-Fort Worth region of the US. Specifically it asks whether branding impacts a home's value. The study follows prior scholarly suggestions to derive quality and comparable data and to focus on geographically targeted luxury real estate markets. The research builds on prior research frameworks exploring the hedonic pricing model, an established research stream that has looked into the effect of home hedonic characteristics on its ultimate valuing. To date, little research has been conducted analyzing the impact of market branding on the final sales price of a home and other features of perceived value. In the empirical results of Study 1 and Study 2 of stable, affluent communities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of the US, we analyze the outcome of the two studies indicate that buyers may not perceive a high value related to the brand of the listing and/or selling broker. This may appear to counter the general marketing branding literature, but the strength of brand in goods could be quite different than the strength of brand in services such as real estate and we formulate null hypotheses to test this possibility. Brand loyalty to a class of brokers, for example, could be less likely given that most buyers only engage in home buying on an infrequent basis. Indeed, in the two studies conducted, the hedonic factors are overwhelmingly powerful predictors of value and these hedonic and tangible physical characteristics of a home could well be responsible for allaying or undermining any real effect of brand. This research consists of two studies conducted separately in different locations of a single county within the Dallas-Fort Worth Texas area. By studying two separate but similar communities in the same geographical area, external validity was thus enhanced, assuring that the results here were not a one-off empirical finding in only one setting. The two studies were coded for brand and hedonics and used as predictors of buyer perceptions of value, as represented in the final, agreed-to sales price and other forms of valuing. Based on the research findings, these two independent studies overall strengthen statistical power and allow for possible generalization to other unstudied populations, which, presumably, would be other real estate markets. Utilizing the current methodological approach, for example, would permit future researchers to see if the findings generalize to communities in other metropolitan areas in the US and beyond. In all such studies, it might be possible that the effect of brand becomes statistically significant, for instance, but this could be, strictly speaking, merely a function of the larger N. In this thesis, however, branding was not statistically significant and, moreover, the branding effect was minimal in terms of explained variance of the DVs such as final sales price. If these finding should hold across settings, the predictive power of brand would continue to have a very small value component and hedonic characteristics would likely dominate, rendering branding to be a far distant, minor effect. The implications of this study can be seen with respect to both academic thinking and practice. There is a theoretical contribution in showing that a brand in real estate may not impact buyer value, admitting the limitation of the dataset having been gathered from one North Texas market. These results run counter to some marketing research to date and certainly contend the thinking of many brokers and home buyers and sellers. Based on the results of this study, branding might be considered in future studies as a control variable that is not expected to affect outcomes to any marked degree. Alternatively, scholars might continue to introduce branding as a direct effect on value and compare their findings to this thesis. Challenges to the hedonic pricing model might also emerge from future empirical results, but, given the persuasiveness of prior studies of the hedonic model in real estate, we expect that such hedonic factors will continue to reign supreme. For practitioners, non-luxury brokers have some evidence that luxury branding of a home might not result in value for the buyer and this could be an effective marketing tool for them (with the caveat that scientific findings thus far are limited to a study drawn only from the Dallas-Fort Worth region). Claims that sellers should choose a luxury brokerage to list their homes may not stand the empirical test of real-world data and analysis and luxury brokers can be cautioned not to overstep in arguing that they can definitely produce economic premiums for sellers. Hedonic characteristics continue to be the most important predictor of home sales prices, as is likely, all brand levels will likely be even better informed of the relative importance of hedonic factors in the presence of branding effects in future studies. By holding brand constant, variance associated with brand can be patriated out and the resultant weights of hedonic factors can be more clearly seen and understood. / Business Administration/Finance

In recent years, there has been a notable shift in the conventional strategies employed by luxury automotive brands towards a more digitalized customer journey. This shift reflects the changing landscape of consumer behavior and the growing influence of technology in shaping customer experiences. Customers are increasingly seeking convenience, personalization, and seamless interactions throughout their purchase process, and expect businesses to provide them with engaging and immersive experiences, both online and offline. As a result, luxury automotive brands have recognized the need to establish a strong digital presence and leverage various touchpoints to meet these evolving customer expectations. Consequently, the purpose of this thesis has been to examine and understand how luxury automotive brands create luxury hedonic experiences online, as well as identify the key touchpoints through which hedonic value is created in a digital context. To achieve these objectives, a qualitative multiple-case study was conducted involving seven businesses operating in the luxury automotive sector. The research methodology employed a combination of semi-structured interviews and a structured questionnaire, and the empirical findings were thoroughly analyzed in conjunction with existing literature to discern similarities and disparities among the cases studied. The conclusion of this thesis reveals that luxury brands employ a multi-faceted approach, utilizing high-quality digital content, exclusivity, collaborations, innovation, personalization, customer-centricity, and top-quality customer service to create hedonic experiences. Key digital touchpoints include aesthetically pleasing websites, interactive features, social media platforms for community building, and corporate touchpoints that align digital experiences with offline luxury experiences. Moreover, this thesis can serve as a guide for future endeavors in this field, and researchers can utilize its findings as a foundation to further explore the implications for luxury automotive brands.

Background - The concept of luxury has undergone significant transformation over time, withMillennials redefining what constitutes luxury in contemporary society. This study explores thephenomenon of brand hate among Millennials towards luxury fashion brands, examining theunderlying causes and implications for the industry. Purpose - This study aims to examine the literature on negative brand relationships, focusingspecifically on the key factors contributing to brand hate. It centers on two primary aspects: the causes that lead to brand hate and the resulting outcomes of these negative sentiments. Design, methodology, approach - The data collection was conducted via a web-based survey,gathering responses from diverse social media platforms and relevant forums. Structuralequation modeling and multigroup analysis was employed for the data analysis. Findings - This study proposes brand hate as a central concept, identifying four key factors thatcontribute to its development: symbolic incongruity, ideological incompatibility, negative pastexperiences, and brand inauthenticity. Additionally, it highlights the outcomes of brand hate,which include negative word of mouth, brand aversion, brand switching, and brand retaliation. Originality - This study contributes to the understanding of negative consumer-brandrelationships by focusing on the key factors that drive feelings of hatred.

Biblioteksgatan-Birger Jarlsgatan-Stureplan, known for its luxurious high density of luxury stores and historical architecture, is an extreme case in the built environment in a Swedish context. This thesis examines how private property developers shape the urban landscape and change dynamics within Stockholm's luxurious shopping district and its surroundings. Luxury brands create attractive urban environments that draw elite businesses and individuals, driving economic growth and urban regeneration. The study explores the role of urban partnerships and identity creation in contemporary city development, emphasising the collaboration between private property developers and public authorities in addressing urban challenges. By clustering luxury retail in prime locations, developers enhance the area's attractive perception, attract affluent residents and tourists, and contribute to the city's competitiveness. The thesis adopts a political-economic perspective, integrating theories from David Harvey, Michael Porter, and Richard Florida to understand the influence of private property developers on urban development. It employs a case study approach, using semi-structured interviews and existing literature to provide comprehensive insights into the strategies and impacts of private property developers in Stockholm. Luxury research is largely missing in a North European context, and this thesis aims to contribute to the research gap.

Background: Social media platforms changed completely the manner in which companiesinteract, communicate, promote their products, and create brand awareness. Such platforms areused as a means of communication among users for acquiring information, discussing products,and reflecting on brands. Even though social media is advantageous to both firms andaudiences, it can be an ineffective marketing strategy due to problems of transparency andincompetence. Luxury fashion brands including Balenciaga as well as Dolce & Gabbanaembrace social media when going for promotion and engagement but have recently had massivecriticisms due to controversial advertisements.Purpose: This research seeks to explain how the brand images of luxury fashion brandsBalenciaga and Dolce & Gabbana are affected by the backlash on social media marketing,particularly looking at how negative reactions can have an impact on brand reputation andconsumer-brand relationships.Method: A qualitative method with an inductive approach conducted through semi-structuredfocus groups with customers and protentional customers of the examined brands.Conclusion: Social media backlash negatively affects luxury brands Balenciaga’s and Dolce& Gabbana’s brand images

This thesis examines the multifaceted strategies employed in Pressbyrån's 2023 Cinnamon Bun Campaign, which gained nationwide attention in Sweden for its humorous approach. The campaign aimed to depict the Swedish cinnamon bun, a staple of the Swedish fika tradition, in an extravagant and luxurious light. Focusing on the interplay between humor and luxury, the study uses a multimodal analysis, utilizing Semiotic and Social Semiotic approaches to understand the visual material and its conveyed meanings. Using a theoretical framework that includes Stuart Hall's (1973) encoding and decoding model and Marxist theory, the research examines how the campaign commodifies the cinnamon bun, imbuing it with social value within capitalist culture. The investigation also places the campaign within Swedish cultural traditions and explores the intersection of humor, luxury, and cultural contexts. The literature review covers perfume advertisements, humor in advertising, and the commodification of cultures, providing a comprehensive background for the analysis. The analysis identifies visual cues and luxury codes within the campaign's posters and discusses their impact on audience perception. It also explores how humor through parody intersects with cultural contexts, particularly in challenging Swedish norms of moderation (lagom) through exaggerated luxury. The findings reveal that the campaign strategically uses visual elements reminiscent of luxurious perfume advertisements, creating a humorous dissonance between the perceived extravagance of the bun and its ordinary consumption. The study highlights the complex dynamics between humor, luxury, and cultural contexts in advertising. While humor effectively captures attention, its efficacy in enhancing brand recall remains uncertain. Nonetheless, Pressbyrån's campaign serves as a compelling case study, offering insights into the intricate relationship between consumer culture, tradition, and humor in advertising.

Présente depuis le temps des Romains, et bien au-delà des simples «articles de Paris», la contrefaçon s’est introduite dans tous les domaines de fabrication. L’objectif de cette recherche est de déterminer quelles peuvent être les raisons et les motivations qui poussent un groupe d’immigrants à se spécialiser dans la vente de contrefaçon d’objet de luxe. Pour y répondre, nous proposons de suivre deux hypothèses. D'une part, le contexte politicoéconomique international est constitué de telle sorte qu'il favorise un groupe restreint de pays et limite en contrepartie les débouchés à bon nombre de pays en développement. Les pays développés modulent, ou font pression sur les organisations internationales à leur image afin d'en tirer davantage de bénéfices, et souvent au détriment des pays en développement. Et d'autre part, à l'intérieur de ces populations en mouvement, certains individus font le choix (inévitable ou stratégique) de se cantonner dans un commerce de la rue, parfois illégal, comme c'est le cas de la vente d'objet de luxe contrefait. D’un autre côté, l’adhésion d’un individu à un commerce illégal ne peut lui être totalement imposée par des forces extérieures. Ainsi, il est démontré dans ce travail, que la vente de contrefaçon répond aux particularités et aux exigences de certains individus: statut d’immigrants illégaux, peu ou pas d’expérience de travail compatible avec le pays d’accueil, travail sans contraintes d’horaire, travail à l’extérieur et, surtout, favorisant la vie sociale. / Present since Roman Empire, and that well beyond the simple "articles de Paris", counterfeiting has been introduced in all areas of manufacturing. The objective of this research is to determine what are the reasons and motivations for an immigrant group to specialize in selling counterfeiting luxury. To answer this, we propose two hypotheses. On the one hand, the international politico-economic context is such that it favors a small group of countries and limits, in return, the opportunities of in many countries in development. Developed countries modulate, or lobby, international organizations according to their values and they want to draw the greatest benefits. Often, these benefits are harmful to the others. Secondly, within moving populations, some people are choosing (inevitably or strategically) to confine themselves in a street trade, sometimes illegal, as is the case of the counterfeiting luxury’s selling. On the other hand, illegal trade cannot be fully imposed to individuals by external forces. Thus, it is shown in this work that the sale of counterfeit features meets some expectations and constraints of sellers: illegal immigrant status, no job experience in the host country, no schedule constraints, working outside and, especially, promoting social life jobs.