On the opposite corner, twin buildings house the Shiseido Parlor, an 11-story cultural space, restaurant, bar, cafe and dessert counter. Here, sip a Shiseido cocktail (strawberry pink), stop by an exhibition on geisha culture (and the Japanese aesthetic from which the brand draws much of its inspiration), then enjoy Japanese high tea in a lacquered salon. You can enjoy it. Shiseido pattern tableware. As you leave the ground floor shop, feel free to pick up colorful branded pastries and candies in pops of lipstick hues.
This is a leading cosmetics store that can offer you a full day of hospitality and cultural fun with absolute authenticity. The brand is so resilient that it can be printed on cosmetic bottles and Madeleine boxes. Customers happily flashing Shiseido branded tote bags or buying Shiseido packaged gifts for their mothers. It's the very definition of a lifestyle brand.
So how do you get there? How can you win the hearts of your customers to become a true lifestyle brand? The answer is to stop second-guessing what consumers want and start building values.
tell your own story
The Shiseido experience is reliable because it is consistent. The company tells a story about Japanese beauty, based on the company's traditional Kabuki origins and inspiration from its original geisha clientele, which is reflected in everything it does. From exhibition themes to food presentations and product packaging.
Another example?
Monocle. What started as a magazine has now become a lifestyle brand that includes shops, live events, perfumes, clothes, and goods. This diversification is rooted in the brand's unique creative perspective of the world as seen through the lens of mid-century Swiss and Japanese style, championed by founder Tyler Brûlé. This is reflected in its aesthetic, from the store's furniture (his 606 shelves by Dieter Rams) to its fragrances (cypress wood) and even the nature of the events held (Mittel Europe Christmas Craft Market). It affects all of your choices.
play to your strengths
When expanding as a lifestyle brand like this, it's important to know which adjacent areas you can legally operate in. For example, Muji, a retailer of household and consumer brands, promotes organizing spaces, cleanliness, and orderly living. So when he launched his own brand of hotel that offered a taste of Marie Kondo's lifestyle, customers had no problem accepting that it would offer an elevated experience like any other hotel. Not every retailer can diversify into hotels, but for Muji it made perfect sense.
Similarly, when upscale gym and health club brand Third Space decided to start offering its own food offerings, its focus on functional and custom ingredients and healthy living made it a must-have. I gained credibility. This enabled him to turn his own brand Natural Fitness Food into his £2 million business.
And it's no surprise that Moomin, the popular Finnish cartoon character created by Tove Jansson, has expanded and morphed into the realm of language schools for children. It's a natural extension of the brand.
surprise the audience
But sometimes, that element of surprise is exactly what a lifestyle brand needs to succeed. After all, all our customers love to share amazing new lifestyle experiences that they personally discover. They covet the prestige of the dinner table: “Did you hear about this new restaurant, shop, or experience?” If you show them something they weren't expecting, they'll be grateful for it.
Part of restaurant brand Wahaca's enduring success is changing perceptions of Mexico. It introduced the world of Frida Kahlo, Luis Barragan, Escamoles, and Huitlacoche to the mainstream with vibrant street food and a fresh vision of color. They went far beyond my preconceptions of sombreros and nachos and offered something truly innovative.
give them something to believe in
After all, at the heart of every successful lifestyle brand is a philosophy that people can relate to. A lifestyle brand is a product, service, or place in our lives that we are proud of because our choices say something about us. Do you want people to see you carrying your tote? Are they going to tattoo your logo on your arm? For example, road cycling brand Rapha has built a passionate community around life on two wheels. Its fans fully embrace and identify with the company's ambition to 'live by bike'.
This passion grows lifestyle brands. It is what allows brands to be commercially successful. If you get it right, you can build loyalty, capture premiums, and take advantage of diversification and upsell opportunities. This allows you to develop true brand advocates and increase brand awareness.
To earn the right to be a part of your customers' lives, remember: In a world where consumers know their choices reflect their values, consumers want these choices to be rooted in authenticity, not what they think you want to hear. I hope that.
Philip Koh is co-founder and strategy director of. without it