Ch. 17 - Personal Selling and Sales Management

Louis Vuitton is a company that lacks sales promotion. Their items

are never on sale, they never offer deals, and they certainly never give away samples. The brand that is Louis Vuitton is so coveted that it is unnecessary to offer deals. In fact, offering any type of discount would hurt the brand. The primary target market views themselves as elite, and use Vuitton to differentiate themselves; these people do not need to shop during times of sale prices.  Lack of promotion is something that draws them to Vuitton.

Vuitton's producers insist that the product is of high quality, therefore any type of outlet to discount prices is unnecessary because their products are highly warranted. Furthermore, sales can promote a mentality that the discounted product is outdated, undesired, and/or overpriced. The perception of the products to the consumer can become tainted. I certainly have had this happen to me when shopping- my thought process is something like this: "Why would I buy from this particular store when there isn't a sale when I know I can get it for cheaper, and they are still making a profit!" If Vuitton offered discounts they would lose their power of prestige.  

Instead, Vuitton focuses on engaging customers in memorable experiences. Their employees work to emphasize the unique products and ensure a distinguished retail experience. The sales associates develop relationships with customers and create a comfortable, organized environment where the customer feels relaxed- not rushed. 

Something that adds the overall experience is the option to custom make a bag.  On Vuitton's website, they offer "Custom Made"... "Whether it is designed to fulfill a practical purpose or is an expression of individual creativity, custom-made leather goods is both functional and exceptional. All our special orders are hand made in our historical workshop in Asnieres near Paris. founded by Louis Vuitton himself." Here you are given the option to chose your design, leather, and lining. 

Vuitton is a sponsor of the elite sporting event of yachting. The "America's Cup" trophy awards the winner of America's Cup match races between two yachts. This reaches the audience and target market of those who attend events such as yacht racing, these people most likely sport (pun intended) Louis Vuitton during their day-to-day lives. 

Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

 Louis Vuitton commonly uses print ads in magazines and billboards in cosmopolitan cities. It previously relied on selected press for its advertising campaigns (frequently involving prestigious stars like Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Gisele Bündchen and Catherine Deneuve) shot by Annie Leibovitz. However, Antoine Arnault, director of the communication department, has recently decided to enter the world of television and cinema: The commercial (90 seconds) is exploring the theme "Where will life take you?" and is translated into 13 different languages. We can clearly see diversity in their advertisements. 
This is A quest for freedom and adventure, introducing the new Spirit of Travel Campaign from Louis Vuitton starring Michelle Williams and Alicia Vikander

French leather goods maker Louis Vuitton is Luxury Daily’s 2014 Luxury Marketer of the Year for its seamless transition to new creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere’s vision.

Louis Vuitton won over first runner-up Hermès and second runners-up Dior for keeping a consistent visibility across channels. Throughout this year, all three brands showed a strong ability to keep their presence known through efforts spanning print and online, maintaining key placement in important fashion publications and speaking directly to their audience through social media. Louis Vuitton has also entered the publishing game itself. Starting in October Louis Vuitton began publishing “The Book,” a biannual, in-house glossy magazine. The branded print publication will be translated into 11 languages and mailed only to select Louis Vuitton clients. 
Louis Vuitton populated its Fall 2011 runway with supermodels like Kate Moss, Amber Valletta, Carolyn Murphy, and Naomi Campbell, but you wouldn't guess it based on the collection's campaign. Instead of its usual top model or actress seasonal face, the brand went with very young, in some cases: 16-year-old Zuzanna Bijoch, 15-year-old Daphne Groeneveld, 20-year-old Gertrud Hegelund, 16-year-old Nyasha Matonhodze, 20-year-old Anais Pouliot, and Fei Fei Sun, who was born in 1989.
The Louis Vuitton company seeks to cultivate a celebrity following and has used famous models, musicians, and actors such as Keith Richards, Madonna, Sean Connery, Michelle Williams, Matthias Schoenaerts, Jennifer Connelly, Hayden Christensen, Angelina Jolie, Gisele Bündchen and most recently David Bowie in its marketing campaigns. On 2 August 2007, the company announced that the former USSR leader Mikhail Gorbachev[29] would appear in an ad campaign along with Steffi Graf and Catherine Deneuve. Many rappers, most notably Kanye West, Juicy J and Wiz Khalifa have mentioned the company in certain songs.

Ch. 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing

Louis Vuitton store Macy's Herald Square
Macy's, 151 West 34th Street, 1st Floor, New York, NY 10001

I recently visited the Louis Vuitton store in Macy's herald square 1st floor. The store itself is very elegant, it’s not one of the biggest stores in New York but is one of the busiest. The largest store in the US is on Fifth Avenue New York and is absolutely breath-taking.

The luxury store offers a truly unique shopping experience with its leather goods, classic men's and women's ready-to-wear, modern timepieces and jewelry, and uptown-chic footwear. Past the towering wooden grids that showcase the famed handbags lie the relaxed suits and ultra-feminine knee-length skirts that typify Vuitton's polished look, punctuated by bright colors and soft accents for a swank mix of tradition and modernity; this familiar style is echoed throughout Vuitton's designs, from the monogrammed canvas belts to the red ostrich-leather wrist watches. The displays are elegantly furnished; every item seems to scream buy me. The customers service is also excellent, the sales associates wear black suits with the tag of their name and they're not pushy, but well informed about the products and very professional. The atmosphere is without any doubt welcoming and is really hard to get out without buying anything. Louis Vuitton uses e-tailing as well, its website is very elegant, informative and easy to navigate, the background music makes the shopping online even more pleasant. The website offers all services that you can find in the store, there are different ways you can contact a professional if you need any help, such as chat option, phone or call back option. The website offers personalized service as well. Louis Vuitton's use of personalized e-commerce shows marketers how luxury brands can preserve their exclusive shopping experience and aspirational brand image online. Louis Vuitton is able to offer its traditional personalized service to its community of Facebook users via its Mon Monogram app. Users discuss purchase to a much greater extent than for other post topics, suggesting the app can act as a call to action while maintaining Louis Vuitton’s luxurious brand image. Alongside its posts about culture and travel, Louis Vuitton's Facebook page features the Mon Monogram app.  which allows members to fully customize their bag with hand-painted personal initials and stripes on the color and direction of their choice. They are then prompted to visit the Louis Vuitton store to purchase their customized bag. Users of the app can also send “virtual” gifts to each other, adding a social dimension to the experience.

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

In a world filled with different social classes and values, Louis Vuitton does a brilliant job targeting all of these groups. Like mentioned in the mission statement  section, Vuitton's products notoriously represent wealth and luxury. The wealthy want Vuitton in order to differentiate themselves from the lower classes, while the less wealthy want Vuitton to feel like they have achieved what the wealthy has. When purchasing a Louis Vuitton product, consumers are driven by social factors, cultural factors, psychological factors and individual factors. The external stimulus of the consumers comes from a wide range of factors such as the continuous innovation of the products. Louis Vuitton has added ready to wear line, fine jewelry, watches and shoes to its collections. Along with the innovation of the products the company has adopted the new technology. The Mon Monogram application allows the consumers to customize their products. Louis Vuitton advertises its products

through multiple channels, from print advertising to commercials, billboards, magazines and social media. The nonmarketing-controlled information source comes from hundreds of blogs, and review websites where people talk about the brand, lifestyle-related posts help associate Louis Vuitton with elite culture are successful in driving purchase discussion. When considering of purchasing a LV's bag the consumer is affected by conscious motives such as the high quality of the product that performs well, friends, colleagues or acquaintances

that already have a LV's bag, and limited edition make it more fashionable. 
I would say that the majority of Louis Vuitton's consumers are those that feel Vuitton will enhance their ideal self- image. Although there is a small percentage that buys Vuitton products like luggage and clothing  that lack monograms and extensive design because they are of the utmost quality. To them, the products are a smart investment that will serve to assist in their travels and wardrobes.
Overall I feel the decision-making process for Vuitton mostly entails want. Price is secondary to the initial desire for the product. Most consumers will find a way to save and purchase if the yearning for a higher self- image is present.