However, once these late majority women learned of the high price tag of the bag, and the years-long waiting list, they would have made the decision to purchase a less-expensive knock-off. The implementation would occur when they wore the knock-off Birkin in public. Dissonance may have occurred at the confirmation stage if the knock-off did not meet the expectations of the purchaser (Rogers 1995, p. 181), or if a friend or peer spotted the bag as a "fake."
Indeed, it is in Hermes best interest, in order to protect the exclusive image of the brand, that the diffusion not reach the late majority adopter category (Sengir and Park, 2011). But this may have happened already. Even though the exorbitant price tag on the bag will always keep the Hermes Birkin bag from 100% adoption, the increased availability of the bag, through the elimination of the wait list, to those who can afford it can cause great damage to the Hermes and Birkin brand image (Sengir and Park, 2011).
The bag's namesake, Jane Birkin herself, who has donated two of her bags to charity for auction, "is lobbying Hermes to diversify the iconic model, urging them to: 'make it out of plastic or, even more fun, make it out of cardboard. Then it wouldn't be so heavy.'"
(There's no fun in a bag if it's not kicked around, 2011, Telegraph). If Hermes were to take Ms. Birkin's advice and make a bag out of lower quality and less expensive materials such as plastic and cardboard, the price could be lowered, therefore making it available to the large population of the late majority. However, that is not a tactic the exclusive fashion designer would likely undertake. Hermes might do well to start at the beginning with a new innovation, and using Jane Birkin's idea for a bag that's more fun might be the next Hermes bag that the innovators and early adopters "must have."
References
Bag lady: Victoria Beckham's 100-strong Birkin bag collection that's worth £1.5m. (2009). Daily Mail. Retrieved November 20, 3011 at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1184169/Bag-lady-Victoria-Beckhams-100-strong-Birkin-bag-collection-thats-worth-1-5m.html
Givhan, Robin. (2004). Martha's moneyed bag carries too much baggage. The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2011 at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A37117-2004Jan21.html/
Greatest Risks They Ever Took. (January, 2010). Forbes. Retrieved December 1, 2011 at http://www.forbes.com/2010/01/20/greatest-risk-they-took-entrepreneurs-management-risk.html
Hermes Bags. (2011). Love to Know. Retrieved November 30, 2011 at http://handbags.lovetoknow.com/Hermes_Bags
Hermes Birkin Bags No Longer Have A Waiting List. (2010). She Finds. Retrieved November 30, 2011 at http://www.shefinds.com/2010/fashion-alert-theres-no-longer-a-waiting-list-for-the-hermes-birkin-bag/
Jane Birkin: 'There's no fun in a bag if it's not kicked around'. (2011). Telegraph. Retrieved December 1, 2011 at http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8432050/Jane-Birkin-Theres-no-fun-in-a-bag-if-its-not-kicked-around.html
Lady Gaga destroys another Hermes Birkin bag. (2010). Shine. Retrieved December 1, 2011 at http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/lady-gaga-destroys-another-hermes-birkin-bag-1609114.html
December 1, 2011 at http://www.accesshollywood.com/video_260463
Rogers, Everett M. 1995. Diffusion of Innovations. New York: The Free Press.
The History Behind The Birkin Bag. (2011). The Brand International. Retrieved November 30, 2011 at http://www.thebrandinternational.com/history-birkin-bag.html
The wait list is over. (2011). Glamour. Retrieved November 12, 2011 at http://www.glamour.com/fashion/blogs/slaves-to-fashion/2010/04/the-wait-list-is-over-now-anyo.html
Sengir and Park. (2011). 7 things You Should Know About Hermes Birkin Bags. Educause.
Tonello, Michael. (2008). Bringing Home the Birkin: My Life in Hot Pursuit of the World's Most Coveted Handbag. New York: Harper Collins. Retrieved November 30, 2011 at http://www.bringinghomethebirkin.com/
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