Hi Reader,
Luxury isn't about money.
It's about perception. And you have more control over that perception than you think.
There's a study I can't stop thinking about. Researchers gave people the exact same wine. But they told one group it was cheap, and another group it was expensive.
Brain monitoring revealed something remarkable: those believing they drank expensive wine actually experienced greater pleasure. Not imagined pleasure. Real, measurable, neurological pleasure.
Same wine. Different story.
This is the power of positioning.
Here's the thing: your brand is always signaling what you're about. Every touchpoint—your website, your Instagram grid, the way you write a proposal, even your out-of-office reply—tells a story about your value.
The question is: are you crafting that story consciously…or are you accidentally positioning yourself as the cheap wine?
Most creatives think luxury marketing means using words like "elevated," "curated," "bespoke," "timeless." So your website reads: "We create elevated, curated interiors for discerning clients who value timeless design."
Or you think luxury means showing only your highest-budget projects—the $2M renovations, the celebrity clients, the magazine features. So you hide everything else, worried it'll cheapen your brand.
Or you think luxury means sounding formal and keeping distance. So your copy feels stiff, corporate, like you're performing sophistication instead of embodying it.
Here's the truth: luxury clients can spot fake sophistication instantly.
They've seen a thousand websites with the same adjectives. They know when you're trying to sound expensive versus actually communicating value. And the moment they sense performance? They move on to someone who feels real.
Here's what luxury marketing actually is:
Depth of thought. Intentionality. Standards you won't compromise.
It's explaining why you chose that specific finish, that particular vendor, that unconventional layout, not just showing the finished room. It's naming what you don't do and why. It's making your process visible so clients understand what they're investing in before they ever see a price.
Let me show you what I mean:
Instead of: "We create timeless, sophisticated interiors."
​Say this: "We source textiles based on how they drape in natural light—because the way fabric moves in a space changes how you feel in it."
See the difference?
One is decoration. The other shows you think about details most people don't even notice.
Instead of: "Bespoke luxury for discerning clients."
​Say this: "We don't start with a mood board. We start with how you actually live—the path you take from bedroom to kitchen at 6am, whether you entertain large groups or prefer intimate dinners. Then we design around that."
Now you're not claiming luxury. You're demonstrating your standards.
Real luxury is showing your process. When you articulate your thinking—when you make your standards visible—you're not being salesy. You're giving people permission to value what you do.
The cabinetmaker who obsesses over corner tolerances. The textile designer who knows exactly how a weave will drape. The organic chemist who captures spring in a fragrance. That's luxury—and it's in the details you're willing to name.
The story you tell shapes the value people perceive.
So make sure your brand is telling the luxury story it deserves.
If you're ready to see where your message is signaling "high-value" (and where it might be accidentally signaling "cheap wine"), I created the Luxury Brand Audit we use inside Marketing School for Creatives and with our agency clients.
It's a quick diagnostic that shows you:
✅ Where your positioning is already working
✅ Where the perception gap lives
✅ What to tighten next to elevate how you're seen
Luxury isn't about fancy words or sounding pretentious. It's about clarity, intentionality, and making sure your value is felt.
To thoughtful work that speaks for itself,
Ericka
​
P.S. The world needs more care and attention right now. I know you're going to deliver it in your own original way. ✨