With reference to marketing yourself in the IT Security job market - I particularly liked this article I read this week written by Peter Berlich and posted on Networkworld.com - http://www.networkworld.com/community/node/25318

Every point he made was valid... except one ... We can all agree we are in a global downturn - so luxury brands are screwed, right?

Well, actually it depends on what kind of luxury brand you represent. For the past five years there have been two distinct types: old luxury and new luxury - and it really is more than just semantics - seriously!!!

Unfortunately in the column above I failed to illustrate the difference between 'old' and 'new' luxury. Peter is right - what you do have today is the democratization of luxury. It's about the middle class - they call this the "new luxury." New luxury products are perceived as high-quality and stylish, without being prohibitively expensive...and in times of credit crunches and looming inflation rates and oil prices - and an oversupply of graduates boasting an array of academic qualifications and certifications - they have a serious lack in one area - cold hard experience!

Keep in mind that it's the middle class that stops spending and those IT Security specialists - that is those 'products' that lowered their prices during the boom years are now in trouble and railroaded for the world of 'faux pas' fast!

Now the 'old' luxury products on the other hand - those exquisitely crafted products that are relegated to the very few that can afford them - that is old luxury brands that have maintained their price points, their exclusive positioning and their relationships with uber-rich customers and continued to rack up their experience on the coal face - are unlikely to be hit as hard - because they already have an epicurean customer base who in times of economic uncertainty - just keep spending !

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing M Patrice de Place, the man at the helm of Celine and Dior for more than twenty years to debate the concept of 'old' and 'new' luxury. M. de Place who today runs the Education committee of Mod'Art International and leads the MBA program in Luxury Goods in Paris states that the essential rules of true luxury have not changed. "Luxury is the savoir faire (know-how) of the extraordinary," de Place explains. "It's when a brand consistently exceeds the ordinary. There is no compromise with quality, craftsmanship, distribution and certainly no compromise with the communication."

... so I pose the challenge - if you as an IT Professional review your product - that is - yourself - ask yourself the question - hqve you compromised? and if you haven't - is your job recession proof and will your customers keep spending!!!

I love the saying "When times are good, everybody loves luxury. But when the going gets tough, only the middle-classes get going."

There is a lesson somewhere in there for product marketing :)

Leesa Fogarty

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