Brand and service innovation for GenY

Cultural Innovation

How can an international seller of luxury kitchens reach international members of Generation Y without losing their existing Gen X and baby boomer customers?

The Challenge

Who bothers to buy a luxury kitchen nowadays, with so many great options for eating out? And while the younger generation is into cooking, they are not greatly interested in status symbols. They are more into experiences.

Against this backdrop, we were approached by an international luxury kitchen seller about how to reach the more solvent members of Generation Y around the world without alienating the Gen Xers and baby boomers that heretofore have comprised the company’s customer base. This required obtaining a better understanding of the expectations of the younger consumer generations along the individual touchpoints, so as to structure the brand experience and service offerings accordingly.

The Innovation

STURM und DRANG recruited wealthy, demanding premium-segment customers in China, the USA and Germany to participate in basic ethnographic research on high-end kitchens. The research aim was to illuminate the highly distinct purchasing behavior of the different generations, their respective preferences regarding information channels and their various needs in terms of service. This work yielded four consumer profiles for the luxury segment based on lifestyle, values and attitudes. We then prepared a touchpoint map of their needs for social interaction, inspiration and information, taking into account country-specific cultural factors. As part of this mapping, we outlined the ideal message to these consumers and potential approaches at every touchpoint. These findings remain the basis for ongoing strategic, segment-centric service innovation and marketing tactics in the three primary markets.