Program Overview

In a world where people enjoy ever cheaper and more accessible goods and services yet crave richer and more meaningful experiences, aesthetics have become a critical factor for success, if not survival, for most businesses.

Join us for a three-hour program with Pauline Brown, longtime leader in the luxury goods sector and author of Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond, to learn how to harness the power of your senses and apply your personal taste to create products, services, and experiences that stand out, resonate with your customers, and create long-term value for your business.

Through a combination of research, case studies, storytelling, and practical advice, this groundbreaking program will show why aesthetic intelligence, also known as "the other A.I.," matters in business — arguably now more than ever — and teach you how to cultivate and capitalize on aesthetic intelligence to create a long-term competitive advantage.

Learning Outcomes

✓ Understand how to build, manage, and sustain aesthetic businesses in all sectors

✓ Develop the judgment, style, and finesse to balance short-term financial pressures with long-term aesthetic objectives

✓ Learn how to hire, retain, and motivate the right talent and invest in the right resources to achieve an aesthetic advantage

Topics

Participants will explore the concepts of aesthetic intelligence through multiple lenses:

• Strategy: What are the strategic risks and disadvantages for companies that have under-invested and/or degraded the aesthetic elements of their business? How can companies re-instill and preserve aesthetic value and leverage it for a long-term competitive advantage?
• Science and Analytics: What is the scientific evidence for the value of aesthetics? What methodologies and techniques can be used to quantify and measure aesthetic value?
• Experiential: What are the key customer experiences resulting from aesthetics? How can a business create experiences for its customers? How can experiences be managed at multiple touchpoints?
• Societal and Cultural: How important are aesthetics in society? Are there cross-cultural differences? How do society and culture impact aesthetics, and how can aesthetics transform society and culture?
• Marketing: How can a business draw attention to the aesthetic value that it provides? How can the business “market” its aesthetic selling proposition? Do different customers respond differently to aesthetics?
• Creative Management: How do aesthetic businesses approach the management and marketing of artistic and creative talent? In particular, how do they invest in, support, and capture value from "superstars"? How do they maintain an appropriate balance of power between creative talent and their counterparts in financial/operational/analytical functions? Conversely, what are the challenges that creatives face in scaling and sustaining their operations in the absence of strong financial partnership?
• Branding and Communications: How can aesthetics become part of the core of a brand? What are the key aesthetic elements in branding and communications (traditional and social media)? How can aesthetically focused communications persuade?
• Organizational: How do aesthetic businesses build and support the right culture, organizational structure, and decision-making processes to ensure long-term success, especially after the loss of the founders?
• Impact of Digital and Other Technologies: How are digital technologies affecting aesthetic businesses and industries? How do other technologies (e.g. AR, VR, and AI) affect aesthetics? How can technology be leveraged in aesthetics businesses?

Faculty:

Pauline Brown

Former Chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton North America and Longtime Leader in the Luxury Goods Sector

Executive in Residence and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia Business School

Throughout her career, Pauline Brown has helped to acquire, build, and lead global luxury brands. She is the author of Aesthetic Intelligence: How to Boost It and Use It in Business and Beyond, which was published in late 2019 by HarperCollins. The book is based on a graduate school course that Brown designed and taught at Harvard Business School from 2016 through 2017 and now teaches at Columbia Business School.

In addition to lecturing and writing, Brown also advises corporate clients on brand strategy, experiential marketing, and customer relationship management. She also serves on several boards, including Neiman Marcus Group and Starboard Value Acquisition Corp.