Cool

• In some parts of the world, such as Norway, the percentage was a whopping 20%.
• In California, where I live, almost 60% of people looking for a car in 2021 said they would at least consider getting an EV.
• The key word here is “seemingly.” And the answer reveals an interesting history that most people are completely unaware of.
• When I ask students, “How long have EVs been commercially available?” most of them will answer five years, or 10, perhaps 20.

Electric vehicles and the long road to adoption

• Most people don’t know that they’ve been commercially available since as far back as the 1890s.
• Yes, that’s how long it’s been since that battle was first fought.
• Almost 40% of vehicles on the road in the early 1900s were electric.

The ‘cool factor’ − but so much more

• And they’re right: The Tesla Roadster did make EVs cool – if expensive, at over US$100,000 dollars at its launch in 2008.
• But there are many more factors that explain the rise in demand and, more importantly, broad adoption of EVs.
• One reason for the rise in demand starting in about 2010 is better and more widely available charging infrastructure.

Technology adoption: It takes a village − and time

• Technology adoption is influenced by what’s known as “peer effects” – the desire to compare oneself with others.
• The same is true, for instance, of solar panel adoption, another technology that, like EVs, has both personal and social benefits.
• Technology comes from the Greek word “techne,” which means a practice, a set of habits and a way to accomplish a goal.
• Without this alignment, new tech will sit on a shelf for a long time but never succeed – like EVs almost did.

Hovig Tchalian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• This is even more true for luxury brands as their logos are some of the most recognised symbols globally.
• So, luxury brands should prominently display their logo, shouldn’t they?
• This trend refers to a more low-key approach to luxury where people favour subtlety and quality over prominent brand display.

• The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.
• But the luxury market has been undergoing change for some years, partly as millennials and gen-Z become the main customers of luxury brands.
• These consumers demand that luxury brands are more sustainable and inclusive, contributing to the resurgence of quiet luxury.
• But what is the right strategy for luxury brands when it comes to displaying their logos?

Prominent brand display

• We found that prominent logo display discourages consumers both from buying items from luxury brands and from sharing images of these luxury items on social media.
• They also thought that prominent logo display reduced exclusivity, glamour and the brand’s sophistication.
• Our results show that UK customers’ perceptions of authenticity and coolness reduced by more than 10% when a luxury brand decided to use prominent logos.

The quiet luxury revolution

• Experts suggest that the quiet luxury trend is almost always connected with financial crises.
• The global financial crisis of 2007/2008, for example, led to a shift towards understated luxury in the fashion industry.
• As people struggle to make ends meet during the current cost-of-living crisis, quiet luxury is re-emerging on the scene.

The brand prominence dilemma

• Greater brand prominence is preferred by wealthy newcomers to the upper class, who are known as “parvenus”.
• People who are not rich but want to climb the social ladder (“poseurs”) also opt for more prominent brand displays.
• Their carefully crafted image of a luxury brand may otherwise suffer.

The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

• JBL®, premier audio brand, announces a game-changing partnership with Malbon Golf, the go-to lifestyle brand in the golf space.
• “Collaborating with premier audio brand JBL was an easy decision,” says Stephen Malbon, co-founder of Malbon Golf.
• Music is intrinsic to the golf experience so together we’ve created a partnership that hits the mark across sound and golf.
• This venture into the lifestyle golf space with Malbon Golf is a testament to our innovative thinking,” said Chris Epple, Vice President of Marketing for HARMAN.

• NEW YORK, Dec. 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gem Security , the cloud detection and response (CDR) company, today announced that it was recognized in the inaugural Fortune Cyber 60 list of the fastest-growing companies in the cyber space.
• The list, which Fortune compiled in conjunction with Lightspeed Venture Partners, recognizes companies whose "products have earned the trust of major customers and investors."
• "Being recognized on the Cyber 60 list is great validation of the market need for Gem's platform," said Gem Security Co-Founder & CEO Arie Zilberstein.
• Gem's inclusion in the Fortune Cyber 60 is the latest of several examples of market recognition for the company's products.