Industry and academic leaders in luxury marketing recently gathered in the buzzing city of Seoul, South Korea, for ‘The Mystique of Luxury Brands’ 2017 conference.
The three-day event provides a platform for discussion and debate about the future of luxury branding, enabling attendees to explore contemporary issues and new research in luxury brand management.
Following the successful 2016 conference in Shanghai, the 2017 event was again hosted by Curtin Business School (CBS). Professor Ian Phau and Mr Richard Francis, from CBS’s Luxury Branding Research Cluster and Asia Business Centre respectively, co-chaired the conference with Professor Kim Kyung Hoon from Korean Scholars of Marketing Science.
This year’s conference included industry presentations on themes such as wellness and beauty, gastronomy, lifestyle and culture. An enlightening keynote speech on an effective marketing and quality accreditation campaign for premium Australian beef was delivered by Mr Jean Ough, from the Western Australia Trade and Investment Office in South Korea. Mr Ough is a Curtin alumnus.
LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions Account Director, Ms Lauren Lim, explained in her keynote speech how luxury brands are using the LinkedIn professional social media platform.
Another highlight was Dr Billy Sung’s demonstration of the innovations behind the Luxury Branding Consumer Research Laboratory (LBCRL). Based in CBS, the facility enables researchers to measure human physiological traits such as brain waves, heart rate and facial expression, to better understand the psychology of consumer behaviour.
The academic symposium held on the second and third days of the conference received a record number of submissions from 25 countries and 74 universities around the world.
CBS Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Nigel de Bussy congratulated CBS staff on the success of the conference.
“It’s a testament to the efforts across Curtin Business School, as well as the continual dedication of the Luxury Branding Research Cluster and the Asia Business Centre, to leverage Asian engagement and advance industry connection, research collaboration and business impact.”
For more information about the Luxury Branding Research Cluster, visit the LBRC webpage or email luxurybranding@curtin.edu.au.
