For $700,000 you could own historically significant chimney piece heads. They’re not just any chimney piece heads. According to Luxist, it’s:

An extremely rare, important and well-preserved neo-Gothic terracotta chimney piece commissioned for Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia and King of Hungary, in the late 19th century

For potential buyers, the most important aspect of this is not the craftsmanship, or even how the chimney piece heads look. The most important aspect is its age and royal associations.

A Theta personality will be attracted to this because of the piece’s backstory. This piece serves no purpose other than to be put on display. Thetas gravitate toward luxury items that can be added to their existing personal picture and sense of unity. Thetas would see this item as fulfilling that need.

Thetas look for benefits that improve their social standing. Thetas look for recognition. As I mentioned above, this item would be bought and immediately put on display. A Theta personality would take great pride in showing off this historically significant item off to their friends and others who he perceives as also being part of his desired social circle.

The two guards on the chimney are engraved with a staying that Theta personalities would find great significance in:

Two knights standing on Corinthian columns flank the mantelpiece, which also bears the Emperor’s motto Viribus Unitis, “With united forces.”

Thetas seek unity within themselves, so it is likely that a Theta will attach some personal significance to this phrasing, which would make the item more attractive. Also, because the item is so old, it will likely become some kind of personal adage for the Theta personality.

Ultimately it will be the item’s rarity that will be the most items most attractive feature. Thetas will link their status to the rarity of the product. According to their worldview, if the product is rare, it would imply to anyone viewing it, that the owner, too, is unique.

This afternoon I read a fascinating interview in The Wall Street Journal with Pierre-Alexis Dumas, of the French luxury house Hermès.

The interview was meant to get Dumas’ predictions about where luxury is heading. I found many of his predictions to ring true with how a Lambda personality views the world. Given his position in the industry, this could be a preview of what’s to come in luxury marketing.

There are two questions from the interview, the answers to which struck me as being especially telling:

Do you have a favorite disposable object?

A pencil. If you throw your pencil away, it means you’ve used it. It means you’ve used your brain, your imagination, you’ve been writing and drawing.

This is classic Lambda personality perspective. The value is entirely personalised, drawn from a sense of personal accomplishment. This outlook doubtless informs Dumas’ views on luxury and indeed life.

But it also takes elements of Theta. The idea that an ‘old’ product (with a history) is more luxurious is a very Theta-centric aspect.

The second question is to do with Dumas’ interest in designing luxury yachts.

And now you want to build yachts?

That’s a very large-scale design.

What is the price tag on that?

Between €80 to €110 million ($109 million to $150 million). The industry standard is €1 million ($1.4 million) per meter. A super-yacht is about 100 meters long. Our boat, which we make with the Wally [yacht-building] company, is 56 meters. And this is why it’s very original: Our boat is extremely wide.

A few key take-aways: Dumas is very candid about the pricing for an object that is, in reality, very expensive. A Theta would be more likely to reply in non-exact terms. There is an attention to detail in his answer, of understanding that price points and standards in the yacht industry. He knows whom he is marketing to with this product

The other point: He stresses originality. This is a key element of any sell to another Lambda personality.

Later in the interview, he makes a prediction about what the ‘future of luxury’ will involve. It’s a very Lambda perspective:

We have this odd shape because we decided to [build a boat that would travel] slow….Speed is so passé. What is the luxury for tomorrow? One of them is time.

In this case, the mantra ‘takes one to know one’ is accurate. Dumas is a Lambda personality. He knows what other Lambda personalities will look for in a luxury product, whether it’s clothing or a luxury yacht.

Earlier this month I reported that London’s luxury commercial property market was heating up. The trend continues to this day. But now it is being helped by a spike in London’s luxury home prices, which is seeing the highest price increase since March 2008.

BusinessWeek has more:

The value of houses and apartments costing more than 1 million pounds ($1.5 million) rose 3.2 percent from January, the London-based property broker said in an e-mailed statement today. The annual increase was the largest since the market peaked in March 2008 and compares with an 11.5 percent advance in January.

Overall this is good news for the luxe market both in the UK and abroad. But read a bit further in the article and you’ll see the emergence of a trend that I referenced in a previous blog post about Chinese Lambda personalities buying Western art and vintage wines, something that is somewhat uncommon in Mainland China:

The pound’s 22 percent decline against the euro in the past three years attracted purchasers from Russia, Italy and Greece, in particular, Bailey said. Foreigners bought 45 percent of properties sold for more than 2 million pounds in the past year, according to the broker.

Theta personalities typically own numerous properties across their homeland, and perhaps one or two smaller properties in other countries. Those properties are likely to cost <$1 million. So when we see that 45 percent of properties sold for >£2 million ($3 million), this tells us that these foreign buyers are likely Lambda personalities. Owning a luxury property in London is seen as an accomplishment, both personally and professionally.

Consumer confidence in the UK is on the rise, which helps to explain why this is happening now. Things aren’t great, but they’re better than than they were. Lambdas are seeing an opportunity to re-assert their dominance and be among the first to polish their images with spashy purchases.

Watch for similar trends in more traditional luxe markets such as Paris and Berlin. London could just be the start of a the new European luxe revival.

While there was not doubt that Aston Martin is a brand aimed strictly at Lambda personalities, the recent product release by Aston Martin proves it anyways.

Coming optional with the purchase of a new Aston Martin Rapide is a $33,000 watch. And with this watch and your new Aston Martin Rapide, you can lock or unlock their car doors by simply touching the sapphire-crystal face.

Only a handful of individuals can afford to buy even the Aston Martin. Even fewer could afford the optional $33,000 watch. The timing of this is interesting, because while the global recession is receding, it is not completely over, yet.

Watches are a much-loved item amongst Lambda personalities, because they bestow status and are durable. They’re seen as investments and heirlooms.

During the worst pont in the recession, The Wall Street Journal published a column “How to sell a $35,000 watch in a recession”, which offers a look into the new methods that luxe retailers are using to keep sales moving.

After years of double-digit sales growth, sales of Swiss watches have fallen off drastically. Watchmakers like IWC—a 140-year-old company whose watches are considered collectors’ items and generally cost between $3,000 and $300,000—are having to re-learn the old-fashioned art of salesmanship.

The ‘old-fashioned’ art of salesmanship that is used is selling the experience as tantamount to the product itself. In luxe, people buy because it looks good, feels good and it makes them appear important.

He used PowerPoint to impart what he calls the “macaroon technique,” referring to the sandwich-like French macaron pastry. This can be applied to most any product (including, presumably, a Xerox machine) and goes something like this: “Madam, this timepiece (or diamond or handbag) comes from our finest workshop and it has a value of $10,000. If you buy it, your children are sure to enjoy it for generations to come.”

This tactic by Aston Martin to package the watch with the car is an extension of the salesmenship methodology talked about in the Wall Street Journal article: Show a Lambda personality how well their new, ultra-exclusive watch works with their new, ultra-exclusive car.

The expression also suggests the person will have a long family line, which causes them to envision their children and grandchildren as Lambda personalities, enjoying and cherishing this watch that their father, also a Lambda personality, purchased years ago and passed onto them.

A  true Lambda Personality won’t be able to resist it, and Aston Martin knows this.

Here’s an interesting interview in the Wall Street Journal with Carolina Herrera that I caught via Luxist. Like most in the luxe business, she, too, felt the pinch from a faltering global economy. But now she sees things changing.

I saw the impact in the beginning. I saw it with the women who used to come to the boutique to buy. They bought less. All the information in the newspapers makes them nervous. When you see a lot of people losing their jobs and they have children to send to school and other commitments, then you think [more before] buying.

…..

Lately, it has been better. At one point, I used to see the people who used to buy a lot, and they were a little concerned about buying. Now they are shopping again.

It’s good to see major players in the luxury scene express this level of optimism publicly, not just retailers. She explained a bit about what her strategy was during the worst of the recession.

During the downturn, she has had to walk a fine line, trying to cater to frugal consumers without damaging quality or image. … Ms Herrera responded by cutting prices about 10% and making tweaks to trim costs. She is also expanding her lower-priced CH Carolina Herrera line, adding 17 standalone shops this year to the current 48.

Her strategy speaks to an interest in not alienating a core Theta personality customer. If Ms Herrera had reduced her prices to 15% or 20%, her brand may begin to be seen as masstige. This would alienate both Theta personalities and any potential Lambda personality as a client.

Because she resisted that, her brand’s position is in good position to grow more as the recession fades.

Signs of life  in the beleaguered luxury market continue. First it was in Europe’s yacht docks, where mid-sized yacht sales are picking up steam.

Then in Silicon Valley, where luxury vehicles are seeing month-on-month increases in sales. And more recently across America’s upscale department stores, which are seeing sales jumps of around 7 per cent.

Now in London there are reports that the luxury commercial property market is heating up once again. The Financial Times has details:

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has sold land overlooking Holland Park in London for more than £100m to a joint venture between the Duke of Westminster’s Grosvenor Estate and Native Land, underlining the scale of the recovery for luxury residential property.

It’s important to watch what happens after this deal. Is this the start of a trend, or a one-off event? If it becomes a trend, then London’s luxury property market could recover quickly than most other luxe industries.

This past weekend, the Financial Times published a report that gives some insight into the slow growth that is happening in the U.S. luxury and high-end retail industries:

Richard Hastings, retail strategist at Global Hunter Securities, said that roughly half of the 80 per cent of Americans fully employed were not affected by the depressed housing market and were now more ready to spend as they had become less concerned about their own jobs.

This could be seen as a a quickening of the pace of economic recovery in the U.S. I wrote previously that the trends happening in places such as Silicon Valley suggests that Americans with expendable income are regaining the confidence to spend it.

Tracey Travis, chief financial officer of Polo Ralph Lauren, said the change in climate has mean the company has “slowly begun to see the gradual return of our core luxury customer”.

Conclusions are being drawn from the release of January retail sales figures.

The monthly sales numbers offered further indications of returning demand for prestige and luxury goods, with Saks and Neiman Marcus, the luxury fashion department stores, reporting increases of 6.8 per cent and 7 per cent, respectively

….

Neiman Marcus, which operates about 43 luxury fashion stores serving the most affluent US consumers, said that its strongest categories included women’s couture clothing and precious jewellery.

This isn’t a return to form for the Lambda personalities. Rather, the Thetas are opening their wallets for the high end items that they denied themselves in the last year, whether out of frugality or a desire not to be seen spending lavishly while others suffered.

However a small up-tick in sales won’t be enough to level out the market to pre-recession levels. Only after sustained growth over a number of quarters would be it be wise to begin thinking that the luxe industry has begun a full recovery.

For that to happen, Lambda personalities will need to get in on the action. Reports suggest that may be happening soon. But, given the number of false dawns we’ve seen during the recession, real recovery must be seen to be believed.

If the statistics found in a Wall Street Journal article published yesterday are to be believed, then Silicon Valley in California may be the signal we’ve been looking for of a return to norms in the American luxe market.

According to the article, there has been a recent spike in the number of luxury and higher-end vehicles sold in the region.

Over the course of 2009, Silicon Valley’s sales of the priciest car brands rose, according to R.L. Polk & Co., which analyzes the auto industry. In November, for instance, 15 Lamborghinis, Bentleys and Maseratis were newly registered in the Bay Area, up from four in January 2009, notes Polk.

While not a bell-weather event, it is encouraging to see American luxe figures doing something other than nosedive.

Vincent Golde, general manager at Qvale Auto Group’s British Motor Car Distributors in San Francisco, also noted the up-tick in sales:

[S]ales of luxury brands improved in the second half of 2009 with his dealership—which handles Lamborghinis, Bentleys and others—particularly experiencing an increase in Bentley sales. Most of the car brands at BMCD start at $180,000 per vehicle.

What could this be attributed to? It’s possible that the region’s Theta personalities are regaining some confidence in the market and are feeling more comfortable spending larger sums of money, as the economy continues to slowly improve.

Mr. Golde said many of the transactions were for used vehicles rather than new cars as customers wanted to “let the [financial] crisis pass a bit.”

I expect that more recent figures will show that the market has continued to improve alongside the economy, which bodes well for the luxe industry across the country and even globally.

Thanks to the recovering global economy, the world’s wealthiest individuals have regained their mega-spending confidence. Evidence of this can be found in the sudden up-tick in the number of mega-yachts being sold.

According to this Bloomberg article, boats over 100 feet are selling “very strongly”. Simon Clare, head of marketing for Princess Yacht, spoke to Bloomberg about the phenomena:

“Boats over 100 feet are selling very strongly as the very wealthy feel the crisis less and tend to buy bigger and more modern boats”.

The recovery in sales is very welcome, considering the beating the yacht industry took the previous year. International Boat Industry magazine found that European yacht sales plunged about 50 percent in 2009.

But who is buying these yachts? Juergen Tracht, head of Germany’s aquatic sports industry association offers some insight:

“Typical buyers for these boat categories like medium-sized entrepreneurs usually pay them with savings, and they still haven’t reached the level prior to the meltdown during the crisis”.

At first look, it doesn’t appear these are the Lambda personalities who were freely buying mega-yachts before the recession. But look at it another way: Many are still trying to recover their financial footing.

The people who are buying now are the people who feel compelled to set themselves apart from their friends, even if the size and price of the items is less than in earlier years. That is the mark of a true Lambda.

The race for the hearts and minds of China’s luxe car buyers is on, as Aston Martin joins BMW and Audi in upping production and overall presence in China.

The China Daily reports that Aston Martin opened its flagship China showroom in Beijing this past week.

The store, located at 66 Jinbao Street, Chaoyang District, is more than twice as big as Beijing’s other two Aston Martin stores and is the largest in Asia Pacific. The 500 sq m showroom will display seven of the luxury vehicles each costing roughly 1.3 million yuan.

Given that Aston Martins are typically more expensive than BMW, Mercedes or Audi vehicles, this move suggests that the demand is outstripping supply. This points to a new opening in the market for the super-rich.

While the entire article is interesting, because it further illustrates the growth in luxury goods and demand in Asia, there’s one quote in particular that is quite revealing of the way luxe brands are thinking about China.

Matthew Bennett, regional director for Aston Martin Asia-Pacific, said the following:

“(Beijing) has a growing appreciation for luxury goods and an authenticity of a product, that’s what we’ve been seeing. … ”This is the place to be.”

The phrasing is interesting, too. The “authenticity of a product” suggests a targeting of the Lambda personalities, who prefer both high quality and an air of exclusivity to their purchases.

Another statistic worth noting is that about 80 Aston Martin vehicles were sold in China last year. Even upping that number to 100 would allow Aston Martin to retain its shine of exclusivity.