It’s not a brand. It’s a lifestyle

Want to be a brand for the rich and famous, or one that fits the average consumer’s lifestyle? Many brands are looking to be both.

At a time when many people are scaling back on big purchases, yet aspirational content on social media continues to thrive, some more accessibly priced brands are positioning themselves as part of an aspirational lifestyle, while higher-end brands are positioning themselves as accessible to the masses. This summer, Delta Air Lines reportedly began positioning itself as a “lifestyle” airline, adopting a “premium” brand identity as part of its first brand refresh since 2008. Other brands, like wine brand Josh Cellars and Carbone Fine Food, have begun positioning their food and beverage products as affordable luxuries. Even some pharma brands are starting to present themselves more like lifestyle brands as GLP-1 weight loss drugs gain popularity.

Carolyn Rooke, managing director at VML, told us she’s noticed an uptick in brands positioning themselves as aspirational lifestyle brands, which she attributes, in part, to the demands of social media.

“The Glossiers and the Away luggages and the Liquid I.V.s of the world made something that has not always been sexy or aspirational feel more like a lifestyle and more like a personality characteristic than just a product that you buy,” Rooke said.

At the same time, traditionally upscale brands like American Express and JPMorganChase have begun marketing their more exclusive credit cards to everyday buyers, as brands like Patrón have begun selling mini versions of more expensive products to reach younger and potentially more price-conscious audiences.

To keep attracting consumers that may be both price- and image-conscious, brands of all kinds are making the case that the luxury lifestyle is, in fact, for everyone.

Drink up(scale)

Many brands have been marketing themselves as lifestyle brands for years, so those doing so now are in many ways simply adjusting to the modern marketplace, Rooke said. Beyond social media, she said, brands are achieving “lifestyle” status by listening to their core consumers and offering “things that aren’t directly tied to sales” like merch drops, events, and partnerships.

Josh Cellars, which is known for its affordably priced wine (and its memeable brand name), has sought to establish an aspirational brand image, most recently through a partnership with Hotel Lobby Candle on a $58 Prosecco-scented candle and a $75 Prosecco-and-candle set.

Dan Kleinman, chief brand officer at Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, which oversees the Josh Cellars brand, told us the idea for the collab came out of the brand’s first influencer trip last fall to its Italian winery, which Lindsay Silberman, the founder of Hotel Lobby Candle, attended. The goal through the higher-end partnership, he said, was to raise the brand’s esteem among its millennial customer base.

“Seeing [Hotel Lobby Candle] choose us to do a collaboration helps with our relevance as a brand,” Kleinman said. “It lends credibility to Josh within wine as the brand that luxury companies want to partner with.”

Despite positioning itself as an upscale lifestyle brand fit for high-earners, Kleinman said he wants Josh Cellars to remain relatively approachable. (Some of the brand’s bottles retail for under $10.) He emphasized that the gift set is aimed at consumers looking to give a gift under $100 this holiday season and said that the brand has seen a lot of growth with its mini-bottles of wine. He also noted Josh Cellars’s loyalty program, which the brand launched a few weeks ago in response to the state of the economy, and will allow customers to accumulate points that can be exchanged for merch and gifts.

“We think that is going to be a big driver for us as we get that going because it really is a way to reward frequent purchasing from our most loyal consumers,” he said.

Lo$t in the $auce

Italian restaurant Carbone is known for being a tough (and pricy) ticket, so it’s perhaps no surprise that when its CPG brand, Carbone Fine Food, was created, its founders wanted to convey that aspirational image. Chris Wendling, EVP of marketing at Carbone Fine Food, told us that the brand’s recent collab with luxury skin-care brand Malin+Goetz on a $205 limited-edition tomato-scented “supercandle” was in service of that mission.

To further its positioning as part of an aspirational lifestyle, the brand has also partnered with celebrities like Call Her Daddy podcast host Alex Cooper and publications like Vanity Fair.

The goal, Wendling said, “is really taking these lifestyle influences and finding really good, meaningful partnerships that are sticking true to the restaurant and this aspirational lifestyle branding.”

In evaluating the CPG category on social media, Wendling said his team saw a white space when it came to lifestyle branding as competitors posted about current events and memes—something he said he’s not entirely opposed to here and there. For inspiration on Carbone’s lifestyle brand image, Wendling’s team looked to brands like Rhode Skin, which has combined food with beauty to promote various products.

“The whole reason that this brand was created was…there is a good portion of the country that doesn’t know the restaurant,” he said. “What does bringing that restaurant experience into a home look like?”

The other reason for building the brand, he said, is increasing accessibility, given that not everyone can get a reservation (or afford to eat) at Carbone. With that, Carbone Fine Food is aiming to position itself as both luxurious and affordable, which Wendling hopes to achieve through channels like user-generated content showcasing the sauce and the ways it can be used—ideally, he said, in a style reminiscent of Rhode’s. More partnerships could also be on the horizon: Wendling said he hopes to work with cosmetics and fashion brands next year to further appeal to Gen Z and millennial customers.

“We want to keep this lens of being an aspirational brand, but also still being approachable and really highlighting the product and the branding behind it,” he said.

As the CPG brand grows, Wendling said he wants to further encourage the brand’s status as affordable luxury through a mix of private and public events, owned and organic content, and product seeding—something that may become more important as some consumers pull back on dining out, which Wendling said is only more opportunity to sell the idea of a restaurant-quality experience at home with a $10 sauce.

“It lends well to everything that’s going on in today’s economy,” he said. “Of course people are going to be pulling back on spend, but we formed this brand during Covid…and we continue to grow every month with a household penetration base, so we see no signs of slowing.”