In The Luxury Strategy: Break the Rules of Marketing to Build Luxury Brand, authors Jean-Noël Kapferer and Vincent Bastien coach executives on how to build a luxury brand. They philosophize that the appeal of luxury items partially is based, unconsciously, in creating a legacy (leaving heirlooms to keep the gifter's memory alive, ergo immortal).

If marketing is about giving the customer what they want before they know they want it, you must create a mythology around the brand in order to establish it. To read nine reader reviews, click here:

A review of David Meerman Scott’s book reveals how you can get millions of people to spread your ideas and share your stories.

Unless LCE’s circulation has plummeted, it’s safe to assume that thousands of readers are skimming this review. I don’t know thousands of people personally, so it’s also safe to assume that you and I have never corresponded. However, I can make you—both the general you and the specific you (e.g. Dylan Zachary of Brooklyn, NY)—an evangelist for my business simply by giving you a reason to spread my message to your friends and acquaintances.

A review of Jeff Jarvis’ book on the lessons from Google  

It’s not difficult, given the economic times that we’re in, to look to other companies and other industries for things that may be applicable to one’s business. Jeff Jarvis’ book, entitled What Would Google Do?, provides yet another insight into a company that has been one of the success stories despite the economy.

At the time of this writing, we are just over a year into the most challenging economic downturn that most of us have lived through. A year of economic spills and chills, with no shortage of casualties or clear ending in sight.
Happy times, eh? If you are like most of your colleagues, it has been a year of hearing, reading and talking with other professionals about what we are doing to thrive at a time when “thriving” is akin to simply getting through the day. Everyone has an opinion of what we should and shouldn’t do, very often having to do with ways that benefit the opinion-giver.

Well, I think a year is a long time to go without a vacation—from the how-we-can-get-through-it reading material that has been accumulating in our offices. Instead, I propose that it is time to step back and take an open-minded look at what factors have led to history’s greatest achievements.

Review of: Executive Warfare: 10 Rules of Engagement for Winning your War for Success, by David F. D’Alessandro

Review of: The Anatomy of Buzz: How to Create Word-of-Mouth Marketing, by Emanuel Rosen

Review of: Priceless: Turning Ordinary Products into Extraordinary Experiences, by Diana LaSalle and Terry Britton

Review of: The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing & Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly