Title – ‘Bharat, A Luxe Story’
Author – Dr Mahul Brahma
Publisher – Bluerose Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
Pages – 77
Cost – INR275
The Indian luxury market is an abstract paradox that yet confounds the many high-end brands chasing the profit margin here. The demographic of the Indian luxury consumer is unlike other Asian geographies. And for anyone seeking a clearer understanding of the same, read Dr Mahul Brahma’s latest book ‘Bharat, A Luxe Story’ which will be launched in UK later this year. It is a masterclass on India’s luxury buyer, right from the erstwhile Maharajas who effectively boosted the branding of such labels as Cartier, Louis Vuitton etc, by their patronage, down to the current time millenial maharajas who happily court the counterfeits and the megabuck original product with equal elan.
For instance, in the first para of Chapter 15 of this book, titled ‘A fake, is a fake, is a fake’, Dr Brahma asks all the pertinent questions. “Why does a consumer spend hard-earned money, and that too willingly, on something that is not authentic? What can be the lure to buy a fake, a counterfeit? How can luxury brands make sensible people so blind that they make a beeline outside offline or online stores for getting their hands on these counterfeits?”. He then goes on to provide detailed answers with insight. “Let me give you some salient pointers on luxury counterfeits: Growing at a breakneck speed of 40-45%, the luxury counterfeit market passed USD3 trillion-mark in 2023.There are grades of these luxury counterfeit products….”
The book provides important insights on various aspects of branding, marketing, unique psyche of the Indian luxury consumer and a road map of sorts on dos and don’ts. Reasonably priced, each of the sixteen chapters are a masterclass on the many aspects that impact a luxury brand.
Dr Brahma established his credentials with his earlier books on luxury, ‘The Luxe Trilogy’, which comprises three books – ‘Decoding Luxe’, ‘Dark Luxe’ and ‘Luxe Inferno’. He is a luxury commentator, podcaster, columnist, academician, communication and brand strategist with over two decades of industry and academic experience. An alumnus of IIM Calccutta, Prof (Dr) Mahul Brahma, is Dean & Professor at NSHM Media School, Visiting Research Fellow, Bath Business School, Bath Spa University, UK and Fellow of The Commercial Education Society of Australia.