Need an Office to Gossip?

Religion needs a temple to preach. Democracy requires a parliament to voice an opinion and the Luxury brand an OFFICE to allow the gossip culture to thrive.?

Disagree? Read on; there is a twist.

Many believe the concept of a workplace post the pandemic redundant. Some voiced something hybrid. But it is rare to hear a thumping Yes! My belief is more towards having one primarily if the company sells Luxury. Gossiping is essential for the Business of Luxury. The water holes, the coffee clubs, and the "bumping into" needs a playground to help breed the gossip culture. Hence I am a pro-office believer. But why gossip? Stay with me to know more??

Trust me; it is all about trust. And Stories build trust.

A common ideology and a shared belief build trust. Trust is a glue that binds human beings together, brick by brick, eventually creating a community or tribe.

Religion, democracy, feminism are examples of ideology that makes such tribes, where everyone believes in one thing. Two believers of a cult with nothing common will always trust one another, especially if left among strangers. They eventually bond and create their very own community.?-

The ideology or belief that builds this trust needs to have lots of stories with the power to convince. So, for example, religion needs stories of how it uplifts people, and democracies need stories about creating a progressive country. And feminists need stories of how it empowered women to create a balanced society.?

These stories are shared repeatedly to spread the belief, build trust, and expand the community. Gossiping may be another word for it, which I was talking about in the first place.??

Brands, too, need a community build on trust.?

This is precisely what brands dream of, creating a tribe of loyal customers believing in the label. So luxury houses need stories, especially when the indulgence of the sense is regardless of the cost. Inspiring narratives of the Brand's originator or celebrity users create dreams about acquiring among many. The bold lifestyle of Coco Chanel still inspires, and the legend of the Kelly bag hiding the pregnancy of Princess Grace Kelly creates a desire. We have seen Breguet storytelling about Napolean Bonapart being its customer. At the same time,

Indian Maharajas adorned the walls of Cartier boutiques. Some of these stories can also be about craftsmanship. Most Rolls Royce vehicles are handcrafted by brilliant designers, engineers, and technicians. Van Cleef and Arpels portrayed a passionate love story to formulate a romantic bond with its clients. Breitling depicts tales about speed, jaw-dropping Aerobatic manoeuvres and competition that makes adrenaline rush. Many such stories weave emotions around the Brand—the first step towards building a trust-based community.?

Charity beings at home

Recreating or composing these stories is, of course, a task. But making people believe, emotionally bond and be inspired enough to invest in them is even more uphill. The first believers of these tales are always the employees who swear by these narratives and share them even more passionately. This happens when employees hear about them quite often, gossip around the water holes and the coffee joints, or when "bumped into". In other words, when they listen to the same narrative from many, they start to be a part of it and then eventually spread it further.

The new interns need to sense the emotional bond that the senior colleagues have with these stories. How passionately they swear by them, and how they get goosebumps when they talk about them. Karl Elsener was just 24 when he created a cutlers association to uplift his fellow countrymen from the clutches of poverty. This effort started Victorinox, the company that makes the original swiss army knife. Stories portray a larger than life image of the benevolent founder. While his values reflect in the products, his belief lives on among the torch bearers of the Brand. These eventually spread through storytelling. Cultivate it says the founder!

Where does this fire spread?

Hawaiin cigars, French wines and Swiss watches have aspirational stories about their land of origin. These intangibles add rarity and dream-about to justify the value proposition for a luxury label. So to sell these intangibles, storytelling is vital, and the initial carriers are employees. They need to feel it around them, hear from many to eventually swear by them and continue the chain—working in silos can't create this culture.

Eventually, these stories spread to customers through the retail staff. Customers then gossip among friends spreading the faith, developing trust and ultimately building a community of faithful followers.

This culture of expressing a belief and making others get infected by it needs a breeding ground. Religion needs a temple to preach; democracy, the parliament to voice an opinion?and the luxury brand an office to gossip!