# Prof. Thomaï Serdari on how luxury brands cater to wealthy clientele

1 Faculty News April 14, 2015 ![Quartz logo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_038218.gif?itok=JIQPnzXd)>

Excerpt from [Quartz](http://qz.com/382508/social-intelligence-firms-want-to-map-the-worlds-biggest-spenders/) -- "Many world-class brands, such as Hermès and Christolfe, are constantly introducing ever-more exclusive clubs to ensure that their customers feel a consistent, heightened sense of 'specialness.' 'The irony but also allure about \[these\] clubs is that no one knows the exact list of clients (other than the corporate staff), but also no one can ask to be allowed into the club,' writes [Thomaï Serdari](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/Thomai%20Serdari), a professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business in an email to Quartz. Serdari is the editor of Luxury: History, Culture, Consumption.. 'In other words, one may be a member without knowing it.'"

[Read more](http://qz.com/382508/social-intelligence-firms-want-to-map-the-worlds-biggest-spenders/)