098 - What Ferrari Knows About Luxury Branding with Careesa Campbell Jones

Sometimes the best inspiration for your business is outside our industry. In fact, some of the best ideas I’ve had for my business have been gleaned from the fashion world, the design world, even the automobile industry. If your goal is to become a luxury portrait photography brand, then you might look to other luxury brands like luxury cars and clothing. Today’s guest is my daughter-in-law, Careesa Campbell Jones, a marketing manager who spent many years marketing for Ferrari, the luxury car manufacturer. In our conversation today, you may be surprised by some of the seemingly counterintuitive marketing strategies that have set Ferrari apart from other luxury vehicles.  Can you walk onto a Ferrari lot and pre-order a new Ferrari? Nope. Will you ever see a Ferrari ad on TV? Not gonna happen. Why does the marketing of luxury goods differ so widely from the mainstream and how can you absorb these lessons to make your portrait studio into a luxury brand?  Listen in to learn more.  In this episode, you’ll learn: Marketing strategies that will set you apart How client retention is the most important focus of a luxury brand Why the experience is more impactful than the product itself Here’s a glance at this episode: [2:34] - Welcome to the show, Careesa! Careesa shares her background and how she wound up working in marketing at Ferrari. [4:42] - You won’t see a television ad for Ferrari. Their clientele aren’t watching television. [6:09] - Ferrari is extremely selective on the clients who qualify for pre-ordering a brand new car. [7:49] - Allison notes a similarity between the way Ferrari works to a luxury photography brand. [9:30] - Just because you don’t see the marketing, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. [11:22] - Ferrari is in the business of providing an experience. [13:04] - The salespeople at Ferrari hold themselves to a higher standard. [15:29] - Careesa explains how marketing events work at Ferrari. [17:01] - Do not run ads to clients you don’t want. [23:18] - You don’t want to exclude people, but you want to attract the people who absolutely love the brand. [24:56] - A good marketer won’t be selling a product. They will be offering a solution to a problem that leads a buyer to their product. But luxury brands might be different. [27:18] - It can take time, but you should have a vision of what your ideal client is. [29:11] - Once you build this brand, then the focus changes to client retention. This is Careesa’s favorite part. [31:28] - Family portraits can be stressful. Make the experience something to look forward to. [33:16] - Allison shares the impact of having an experience curated for her during a photoshoot. [36:02] - The prep work is really important. What can you give them during the consultation to get them excited to come back? [39:56] - The luxury brand focuses on client retention.   Links and Resources:  Do The ReWorkWebsite | Instagram Allison Tyler JonesWebsite | Instagram | LinkedIn