This luxury auto brand lost a million-dollar order. You’ll never believe why.

When brands believe their product alone can carry the experience, they’re already eroding the bond with the customer. It’s very dangerous territory.

I was at a private-client launch for an ultra-exclusive auto brand. Ten of us flew in from Hong Kong, LA, London, and Singapore. The venue was cinematic - a warehouse transformed into a black-box theater, suspense in the air.

Then the moment that said it all:

A man in a Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts arrived with two bodyguards. He quietly sat down. He was offered no champagne. He received no greeting. No acknowledgment. Nothing. It was like he didn’t exist.

I finally asked him if he’d like a glass, walked it over myself, and struck up a conversation. It turns out that he owns a collection of 18 of these ultra-luxury cars and had flown from Singapore to place an order that night for two new vehicles at around $500K USD each. But this experience was giving him second thoughts. He told me he loves the product, but the brand fails him repeatedly on service. And now he’s considering selling his entire collection to start fresh with a competitor.

The reveal of the car was spectacular - rotating stage, lights, live band dropping from the ceiling. Theater at its finest. But he was right: the service was mediocre, the event predictable, and there was no depth to it. Just beautiful salespeople standing by to take an order.

Two Lessons for Every Leader:

🔹 The Theater Trap: Spectacle is easy. Anyone can stage a show. Meaning is hard.

🔹 The Product Illusion: When you put your product above the customer, you’ve already lost.

And here’s the hard truth:

Luxury isn’t defined by what’s unveiled on the stage. It’s defined by what happens in the quiet, invisible details before and after the spotlight hits. Those are where brands define themselves.

When those details fail, no amount of drama and novelty can save you.

Luxury dies the moment the object outranks the owner.

Products might win the night. Experiences win the customer.