Designs on inspired brands from Sekforde.

Even as we hunker down into the gloomy, austere clouds enveloping the nation right now, The Evening Standard ran an interesting story the other day about SABMiller successfully marketing Peroni lager as a premium brand in the UK.

As a result the brewing giant allows its bar outlets to charge £4.20 a pint and reports a stellar 29% increase in sales this year.

OK, the drinks market can be pretty faddish - dressing up a piss-poor beer by sticking a lime in the bottle-neck caught on years ago, as has re-popularising premium cider by serving it with, er, lots more ice - but the point is, a certain kind of drinker derives a coolness from making a particular selection.

It’s not based on price, but on perception.

Interestingly, it seems that Peroni has something of a different positioning in Italy. A barman there described it as “la birra di lavoratore” which is kind of self-explanatory but the point is that away from trendy UK bars, locally this “workman’s beer” is good for washing down pizza and not much else.

Now, a friend of mine makes her own line of what can only be described as posh handbags. I hadn’t actually seen one until last weekend and being a bloke you’ll understand that a handmade Victorian style handbag isn’t exactly going to be top of my radar for excitement - until it comes to buying one as a present.

Stylish, luxurious, exquisitely finished and, it turns out, beautifully packaged and delivered in colour co-ordinated wrapping, this was a fantastic buying experience confirmed by the delight of the recipient.

And they’re too cheap. Because I know how much the bags cost to make in materials, let alone time, marketing and distribution there is little enough margin anyway; but compared with her competition and what you might call satisfaction and value - the “wow” factor, if you will, an extra £100 per bag fits in this market and it is something that is being trialled now. It is too early to assess results yet, but certainly there has been no drop in the numbers sold to date.

Of course if value is in the eye of the beholder it may well be that in six months time I will be proved hugely wrong in suggesting this price adjustment based on numbers sold and the revenue in. However, in this instance the extra price adds value: it makes it more desirable and adds to the cachet of owning one, especially as the brand is beginning to be seen in the right places.

Still, that adjustment will also need reviewing in the light of the increased marketing activity now made possible given an increase in margin that will have a disproportionate effect on the business as a whole and not just a particular handbag line.

It will also need evaluating in the light of the improved manoeuvrability now made possible for different tactical promotions, for example, the potential of grouping accessories such as a purse with a handbag. Promotions that will arguably add value overall without detracting from individual products.

If our job is to add value, the sooner we can start marketing before any campaign is put into place, the better.