Luxury connect business school believes in practical knowledge as every now and then, they
organize experiential industry connect!
This time we got a
chance to meet Mr. Divam Jain, General Manager, limeroad.com. The session started with brands and their
identity, we discussed logos and heritage of the brands. He broadly taught us
about how Branding goes way beyond just a logo or graphic element. When you
think about your brand, you really want to think about your entire customer
experience, everything from your logo, your website, your social media
experiences, to the way your customers experiences you and your brand. When you
look at branding, it can be a bit overwhelming to think about what is involved
in your brand. In short, your brand is the way your customer perceives you. We
learnt that It is critical to be aware of your brand experience and have a plan
to create the brand experience that you want to have..a good brand doesn’t just
happen..it is a well thought of, out of the box plan.
In the middle of session, we
asked many doubts and talked about every aspect of branding in the growing
market. In the end, he also threw light on e-commerce, how it works and what
are the features and demands of this market.
In a nutshell, the wonderful
session covered a comprehensive spectrum of topics that had something of interest
for each of us. Therefore, on behalf of the students I thank Mr. Jain for
sharing his ideas and expertise about the branding, and LCBS for giving us
another rewarding experience.
“In order to attain Luxury,
first learn how to manage it” ~ LCBS
Having completed my MBA in
Media and Communication alongside with a PGDLM in Advertising & branding, I
worked for a year and a half in a syndication firm, effectively included in
selling of content and went about as a CRM Executive. A research project on Burberry and my love for
branding set off my enthusiasm in the Luxury Sector. After researching and
going through many colleges, I settled on my decision and chose Luxury Connect
Business School, the first and only Luxury Boutique School, and enrolled myself
for a PGDLM in Luxury Brand Management in association with International
University of Monaco. Like everyone, I had my apprehensions about enrolling in
a college that started its operations in the year 2013 and was worried about
the placement opportunities, but one look at the team heading the Institute,
and I was convinced that I was in safe hands. The founder and CEO of the college,
Mr. Abhay Gupta, is acknowledged as an
industry leader by Forbes, Economic Times, CNN-IBN, NDTV, Hindustan times
and Awarded as the ‘Luxury retail
icon of the year 2012′ by Asia retail congress. He helped not only
bring but establish luxury brands like Versace, Versace Home, Versace
Collection, Corneliani, etc in India.
On the 17th
August, dressed in formals, I made my way to LCBS. To be honest, I have always
enjoyed being a student and was excited to start my journey and interact with
the faculty and my fellow classmates. The faculty and the staff welcomed us
with utmost warmth and arranged ice-breaker sessions for us well. It was
intimidating to have people standing in front of you with 25 years of
experience behind them and realize that they have had worked with some of the
best of the Luxury Brands, yet it was incredible to see them acting so modest
and amicable. Whatever little qualms I had in my mind, soon vanished after we
had a brief session with the alumni, who are successfully placed in different
Industries in the Luxury Sector.
Day 2 of
the induction and I find myself standing in the Dior store interacting with
store manager! As a part of our Industry visit, we visited DLF Emporio and made
visits to Dior, Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Armani Junior and Corneliani. The
college had arranged for a personal visit to these stores to get hands on
experience on the extravagance luxury retail market, know the brand history,
and study the store design along with the products displayed. In spite of me
hailing from Bombay, it was overwhelming to interact with the store managers
andget the vibe of luxury brands. No more we were
the customers, but aspiring Luxury Professionals! Right from the mall entry to
the whole ambience and the personnel at this Luxury Retail Mall, I was
awe-struck! My favorite brand visit would be Dior, a brand that has strongly
imbibed its rich culture heritage in the store design and its products. Special
mention for the extremely humble and courteous manager at Dior, who made sure
we were comfortable and gave us a well guided tour across the store. Oh! Did I
mention that I got the chance to pose with the classic Dior bag worth Rupees
2.7 lac! ;) (Perks of the course).It was now clear to me that this Industry
demands you to be passionate, creative and innovative! The right attitude and
knowledge will always take you a step ahead. On the 3rd day, we had the
Industry people visit us. Mr. Rolf Blaser, the country head of Safilo, India,
shared insights about the company that is the second largest manufacturer of sunglasses
and frames for most of the leading fashion luxury brands. Followed by the
enriching session, we had the ex-country head of Burberry, Miss Nalini Gupta guiding
us through the nuances of Luxury Industry and sharing her profound experiences
at Burberry.
The three
days of Induction and Introduction to the course evolved me from a mere
information gatherer to a knowledge absorber. I am happy to be a part of a
school that is fun, interactive and promotes experiential learning alongside
great exposure! All geared up to start my journey and be a part of a world
beyond ordinary! Closing off with a quote from one of my favorite Luxury brand;
“The best
things in life are free. The second best are expensive.” ~ Coco Chanel
