For luxury brands, raising prices is a strategic tool to enhance brand perception. Unlike mass-market goods where high prices deter buyers, in luxury, price hikes increase desirability and signal exclusivity. This reinforces the brand's elite status and makes it more coveted.

In an era of infinite, AI-generated content, physical info products (like Alex Hormozi's printed playbooks) have surged in value. Their tangibility signals curation and substance, making customers more likely to pay a premium and actually engage with the material compared to a folder of PDFs.

As AI drives the marginal cost of digital content to zero, unique, in-person events become increasingly valuable. This is a strategic bet on the enduring human need for social connection and status, which cannot be digitally replicated. Value shifts from the digital to the physical.

Starbucks' limited-edition items, like a "bearista" cup selling for $500 on eBay, create massive hype through engineered scarcity. This strategy shows that for certain brands, limited-run physical goods can be a more potent marketing tool than the core product itself, fostering a collector's frenzy and a lucrative secondary market.

While most marketers chase new technology like AI, true differentiation will come from applying creative, modern thinking to undervalued and seemingly archaic channels like radio or out-of-home. This contrarian approach creates disruptive, attention-grabbing moments.

Marketing high-priced in-person events requires less "shtick" than digital equivalents. The inherent scarcity (limited seats), tangible experience, and human craving for connection are powerful, built-in marketing hooks that digital products struggle to replicate authentically.

David Chang explains that while food service is inherently unscalable, high-end, exclusive dining experiences are scaling. The scarcity, amplified by social media, creates massive demand and "cultural currency," allowing these unique businesses to expand and increase prices, creating a barbell effect in the market.

As luxury brands consolidate into huge corporations, they face a paradox: their prestige relies on exclusivity, but their business models require mass-market scale. The solution is a new paradigm where status is framed as inclusive and 'for everyone,' turning the concept of prestige proletarian.