-- Champagne and Sparkling Wine: Dom Perignon
-- Cognac: Courvoisier
-- Gin: Hendricks
-- Liqueurs: Grand Marnier
-- Rum: 10 Cane
-- Scotch: Macallan
-- Table Wines: Opus One
-- Tequila: Patron
-- Vodka: Grey Goose
-- Whiskey: Woodford Reserve
"We offer our congratulations to the brands chosen as leaders in their
category in our impartial survey," says Milton Pedraza,
CEO of the Luxury Institute. "It is a testament to the continued desire
by value-minded luxury consumers for 'true' premium, luxury qualities in a
variety of categories and services from apparel to wealth management. Wines
and liquors are no exception. In this Darwinistic Era of Luxury, brands
that claim to be prestige will have to deliver the qualities they tout, or
perish."
The proprietary Luxury Brand Status Index (LBSI) is the only measure of the
prestige of leading brands amongst wealthy Americans. A national sample of
1,200+ wealthy American consumers was surveyed online by the Luxury
Institute. The Institute's respondents had an average weighted income of
$342,000.00 and an average weighted net-worth of $2.9 million.
The LBSI asks respondents to rate the brands along four main "pillars" of
brand stature:
-- Consistently superior quality
-- Uniqueness and exclusivity
-- Social status as a product consumed by people who are admired and
respected
-- Self enhancement, in that the brand makes the consumer "feel special"
across all aspects of the customer experience
In addition, the survey measures three critical "outcome" metrics, which
are compared to the category LBSI:
-- Worthiness of a significant price premium
-- Willingness to recommend brands to people they care about and why, or
why not
-- Brand preference as the brand most likely to be considered the next
time a purchase is made
"We've found that those brands committed to excellence are genuinely
interested in where they stand in the mind of the high net-worth consumer,"
Pedraza says. "For the rest, we caution that this is not the time to 'fly
blind' as the final verdict on whether, or not, you qualify as a luxury
brand is that of the hard-core luxury consumer."
Survey results are weighted to match demographic and net-worth profiles of
the same audience according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances from
The Federal Reserve.
About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the uniquely independent and impartial ratings and
research institution that is the trusted and respected voice of the high
net-worth consumer. The Institute provides a portfolio of proprietary
publications and research and consulting services that guides and educates
high net-worth individuals and the companies that cater to them on leading
edge trends, high net-worth consumer rankings and ratings of luxury brands,
and best practices. The Luxury Institute also operates the Luxury Board
(www.LuxuryBoard.com), the world's first global, membership-based online
community for luxury goods and services executives, professionals and
entrepreneurs.
Contact Information: For Further Information, Please Contact: Evins Communications, Ltd. Dotty J. Giordano, Director Enid Lewin, Vice President Phone: (212) 688-8200 E-mail: dotty.giordano@evins.com E-mail: enid.lewin@evins.com The Luxury Institute, LLC Martin Swanson Business Development Phone: (914) 909-6350 E-mail: mswanson@luxuryinstitute.com