First of all just what IS premiumization? Simply put, what the mega's want you to believe is that their "limited edition, premium" release is really somehow special, better and of higher quality. On this basis we are being asked to pay, well, "premium" prices. I was reminded of this when I recently ran across the announcement that Coca Cola will now be selling what?
Milk!?
But not just ordinary milk. Nope this milk has been "premiumized". It now gets a saleable name, in this case "Fairlife". In fact, the word "milk" is there but you have to look for it. What's their pitch? According to the Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/0 ... ostpopular"...the new drink is marketed as "premium" milk with 50 percent more protein, 30 percent more calcium, half the sugar of typical milk -- and a higher price tag.
“We’ll charge twice as much for it as the milk we're used to buying in a jug,” the president of Coca-Cola North America told analysts".
See how it works? In general you take a common and affordable product, add 25 cents of protein, calcium and additives from unknown sources, and then? Double the price for much greater profit, create excitement and new sales.
The goal: sell nothing - or very little - for a lot...
As so well put in the article, the ultimate example of "premiumzation" is yup, water. Coke did exactly this with "Dasani" - a "premium" water that sells for over $1.00 and except for marketing represents a class of products that in general are hard to distinguish from good tap water at about 6 cents for an 8 oz glass.
And how about spirits?
A great example of this is sherry finishing. What happens here is that an already made and warehoused lesser product (or bulk purchased product) is given a quick dip in tired sherry barrels. A great example of this is Plantation. They buy bulk product of unnamed source devoid of any data regarding the distiller, distillation or aging. As much as we get is the romanticizing of the source, the trip across the Atlantic, the supposed exoticism of the Ferrand cognac, and the use of these allegedly special ex-sherry and cognac barrels. Of their entire line only a handful even details the short dip in these well used barrels.
In other words, it's hard to distinguish this as other than hype and marketing with almost no specifics. And the rubes spend "premium" dollars for this. Let's face it, "premiumization" is simply the romanticizing and marketing of an unknown bulk product designed to create what to many is simply unearned, additional profit.
One of the very best examples I know of is a bourbon called "Sherry Signature". Now mind you, there are a whole list of very nice aged bourbons available for from $20 to $35, give or take. This "Signature" is based on such a bourbon, but gets its quick dunk in romanticized ex-sherry barrels, and get this - even adds some actual sherry! And then...
Sells it for $150 as a limited edition super-premium products. Not only does this product challenge the standards of identity for bourbon, it pushes the limits of credibility.
So how and why do the rubes buy this shite?
I think most of you know how. First you need a group of butt kissing webmasters like the Preacher (who knows better) and otherwise legitimate spokesmen like Cowdery (who should). Each of these shills - whether knowing or not - tends to have an "in group" of clonic followers. The Alpha Monkeys.
The alphas tend to consider themselves afficianados, and tend to have enough disposable income to buy such "look-at-me" products like Signature. The rest of the ordinary but fawning simians simply get in line with the hope that maybe they too might get a chance at some "special simian stuff", maybe this Christmas.
As far as speaking out? When the Grand Poobah holds forth with his pronouncements carried forth by his faithful disciples, those very few who speak out can expect to be piled upon and quickly put in their place. And they lose their chance to become an Alpha.
Thoughts?