Abstract

While the luxury industry is one where leading brands have truly a global reach, most research agree that the words typically defining luxury for consumers across markets are: quality, status and pleasure. Therefore, it is crucial for researchers and marketers to assess what these words really mean for consumers in different markets, which in turn implies diving into their culture. The American market being the second largest one globally, my research focused on understanding the notions of status and pleasure within the American cultural context, paying particular attention to the young generations who represent the future of this segment.

Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America”, has been praised ever since its publication in the nineteenth century as a reference for those willing to approach the American culture. His work helps to understand why the quest for status is so important to Americans and also how the luxury offer has structured itself in the United States, whereas inspiring key questions about status and pleasure. Outlining the sources of the American Dream, Tocqueville's analyses make it possible to assess its evolution as well as its relevance to contemporary America, including to younger generations. Moreover, my research highlights the very strong relationship between pleasure derived from luxury and the need for status it fulfills; it also shows that younger generations, especially Millennials are quite motivated by luxury.