Taste is the new luxury
In an era where AI can generate seemingly-infinite content in seconds, human taste has become the scarcest and most valuable asset in luxury marketing. The brands that will endure are not those that produce the most, but those that exercise the most discerning judgment about what deserves to exist at all. Taste is luxury. Simplicity is quality.
Why taste matters more in the age of AI
Artificial intelligence has democratized creation. A marketer can now generate concepts, visuals, copy, and campaign variations within minutes — tasks that once required large teams and significant budgets. But when everyone gains access to the same tools, speed becomes commonplace. The competitive question shifts from “Can we create it?” to “Should we create it, and why would anyone care?”
AI excels at pattern recognition and replication. It can identify visual trends, analyze successful campaigns, and mimic established styles. What AI cannot replicate is cultural relevance, which emerges from lived experience, emotional context, and a nuanced understanding of people. As Pauline Brown observes, Aesthetic intelligence may be the one (and only) advantage that we humans still have over machines.
For luxury brands especially, this distinction is existential. Technology can improve personalization and accessibility, but luxury has always depended on elements that extend beyond transactions: craftsmanship, storytelling, expertise, atmosphere, and personal connection. When products become easier to replicate and digital experiences become increasingly standardized, emotional nuance grows in significance.
The consumer psychology behind Dior and Chanel
European luxury houses have mastered what Brown calls the art of seduction.
The French are especially adept at keeping people wanting — sharing enough to maintain intrigue, but never oversharing. Every touchpoint expresses tastefulness and emotional connection, communicating what the brand stands for without saying it directly.
Dior and Chanel exemplify this approach through different strategies. Dior has maintained a stable position since the New Look era after World War II, harkening to its heritage without feeling overly nostalgic. There is clarity throughout the rank and file about what the brand stands for and how it can express that across seasons, cultures, and geographies.
Chanel operates with even more levers. The brand benefits from a fuller, more aspirational view of Coco Chanel as a person than exists for Christian Dior. Chanel also possesses more recognizable iconic codes than almost any other fashion brand, creating a foundation that remains stable even as seasonal collections churn.
Both brands understand that consumers are not rational actors making cost-benefit calculations. As Brown puts it, Nobody needs another white T-shirt. This is not about features and functions. It’s really about tapping into people’s dreams and desires.
Why attention doesn’t always lead to sales
One of the most persistent myths in modern marketing is that buzz equals business. Brown’s experience at LVMH reveals otherwise. Even if the math works in terms of buzz generation, even if something becomes incredibly sticky, it doesn’t always lead to sales,
she notes.
Similarly, the graveyard of luxury marketing is full of Kardashian partnerships that went nowhere except for the Kardashians.
Just because someone has a large following doesn’t guarantee commercial return. The math on influencer partnerships is still sorting itself out, and Brown warns against doing things “for attention’s sake.”
For luxury brands, the question is not just who you’re getting sticky with, but whether it serves your longer-term interests.
Nikheel Advani’s philosophy: Simplicity, personalization, enduring quality
Nikheel Advani, Co-founder, COO, and Principal at Grace Bay Resorts, has built a luxury hospitality brand on principles that align closely with Brown’s aesthetic framework. When Advani arrived at Grace Bay Club in 2004, his vision was to elevate luxury service and redefine exceptional hospitality in the Caribbean.
Advani’s philosophy centers on three pillars: simplicity, personalization, and enduring quality. Rather than chasing trends or expanding rapidly, Grace Bay Resorts has focused on delivering “handmade luxury experiences” with unwavering commitment to personal guest satisfaction. This sensibility is palpable across every property carrying the Grace Bay Resorts brand.
The approach reflects a broader truth about luxury: in a world inundated with stuff, people don’t crave more stuff. They crave aesthetic delight: experiences that feel considered, personal, and lasting. Advani’s emphasis on handmade, bespoke service over scaled replication positions Grace Bay Resorts in direct contrast to the efficiency-driven models that dominate hospitality. This doesn’t mean that hoteliers and travel brands shouldn’t automate pieces of the business. But for Advani, automation and AI-driven efficiencies are reserved for back-office business functions.
Aesthetic intelligence: The other AI
Pauline Brown coined the term “aesthetic intelligence” to describe the ability to use one’s senses to appreciate, elicit, and recreate pleasurable experiences. In a word, it’s taste — though the term has unfortunately acquired superficial connotations.
Brown defines it more precisely as the capacity to engage all five senses to create delight. A great restaurant, for example, isn’t just about food. It’s about design, ambience, acoustics, lighting, and even the choice of utensils and how they interact with what you’re eating.
This kind of intelligence extends beyond luxury goods. Steve Jobs redefined computers not by competing on processing power, but by infusing aesthetic principles into every Mac product. Howard Schultz transformed coffee from a commodity into a “third space” experience through Starbucks. Even Airbnb outpaced competitors like HomeAway and VRBO because its founders came from Rhode Island School of Design and understood how to express something more than just apartment rentals.
Brown argues that 80 to 90 percent of buying decisions are based on how a product or service makes someone feel — yet marketers remain predominantly focused on what customers think about features, functions, and costs. Aesthetic intelligence corrects this imbalance: perceived benefits, not features.
Three questions to ask before starting your own company
Brown is emphatic that starting a company for the sake of being an entrepreneur is probably not a good recipe because it’s a hard path.
Before taking that leap, she recommends asking three questions:
- Is it really a good idea? This requires honest assessment, not self-deception.
- Is anyone else doing it? Differentiation matters, but so does validation that a market exists.
- Is the time right? Expect a season without taking breaks, especially in the beginning.
These questions reflect Brown’s broader counsel against deconstructing successful careers and attempting to replicate them. Even if Pauline Brown started today and did the exact same things Pauline Brown did, it wouldn’t have played out that way,
she notes. The times have changed, and success requires making good opportunistic and responsive moves to the current environment.
Building for longevity
For marketing directors and senior managers in luxury travel, beauty, and fashion, the implications are clear. In an age where AI can replicate almost anything, human taste is the new luxury. The brands that earn lasting relevance will be distinguished not by how much content they produce, but by the quality of human judgment behind it.
This means investing in cultural literacy, sensory awareness, and the courage to leave things out. It means resisting the pressure to chase every trend or partnership that promises attention. And it means remembering that people do not need more stuff — they need pleasure, and aesthetics is a powerful way to deliver it.
This article draws on insights from the Fashion and Founders podcast episode featuring Pauline Brown, former Chairwoman of LVMH North America, hosted by Victoria Smith.