Lenovo goes luxury and customer-facing with its brand

Chinese-founded computer brand Lenovo has announced that it is launching a “very special limited edition” notebook computer, which aims to be the most ‘luxurious’ laptop available. The product, which has not yet been given a launch date, will feature elements such as high-quality leather, an integrated SIM card, a variety of service ‘extras’ and an individualised concierge service.

Milko van Duijl, president of Lenovo EMEA, speaking to Brand Strategy today, said that the appeal of the new model, which he was “passionate” about, would be based around its tailored services offering and on-call concierge, which he claimed would be different from anything else offered on the PC market.

He said that the product would be sold as a luxury item for the type of customer who might buy brands such as Hermes. “They want something non-standard,” he commented. He added that the computer would also reflect its luxury profile in its appearance and packaging, which would be quite different to that of Lenovo’s other products.

He said that the customers for such a product would be the type of person who wanted to “make a call from their hotel room” and instantly receive assistance. The computer will initially be rolled out in Europe, although it is likely to appear in certain unspecified markets at first rather than going Europe-wide.

The initiative bears similarities to Nokia’s Vertu luxury phone brand scheme, which offers mobiles with handmade and precious elements for wealthy customers. The Vertu also relies on its services portfolio and concierge offerings as the differentiator for the brand. Although the materials used in the design are also luxurious, the real value comes from the added extra services, which are not available to other customers.

Lenovo also announced recently that it will be entering the consumer PC market in various parts of the world. It has formerly focused on the business market outside its domestic Chinese market. Van Dujil said he would be learning from the successes with consumer products in China.