Exclusivity and engagement with online forums are far from contradictory, with innovative ways to enhance status As a business professor teaching in France and Singapore, I have the privilege of interacting with executives spanning many industries - from food and restaurants to technology, pharmaceuticals, health, transport and luxury. Invariably, given my interest in social media, the discussion turns to how managers integrate social media in their business strategies. Consistently, with most managers of luxury and premium brands, I get the answer that social media is not a communication tool that luxury brands should use. Variants of this answer include that social media is "dangerous", or that "social media and luxury are incompatible". In short, luxury managers often see social media as a threat, or at best as something not very useful. Luxury brands that choose not to embrace social media make a serious mistake At first, this reaction seems appropria...