Retail Refugees

In September I mentioned and posted some images of the BMW Welt in Munich.  More recently, Porsche has opened a musuem of their own…

Buying a Porsche might be especially out of reach these days, so it’s a stroke of luck that the company is opening its first museum this weekend. Designed by the Viennese firm Delugan Meissl, the structure has the badass look of a killer grille, and houses a suitable collection of the brand’s finest cars—everything from the first 356 to a Porsche-powered McLaren. (There’s room for play, too: Most museums these days can boast a café and restaurant, but how many also offer a cigar lounge?) Only thing is, if now’s hardly the time to buy one of these beauties, it’s probably not the time for a quick weekend in Stuttgart, either. Fortunately, a large selection of photos and renderings are available online for a virtual tour—exhaust fumes (not to mention cigar smoke) not included. Check Autoblog for a full slideshow.

(story via men.style.com)

Blurring the lines between business and pleasure (the ubiquitous “bleasure”) and the increasingly  overused “culturetainment” (integrating a culturally significant element into traditionally mindless activity) have been among the primary goals of brands in recent times in attempts to differentiate themselves from the self-serving money machines of industry; it is their way to appear to have consumers´ best interests at heart.  That being said, examples of culturetainment like both the BMW Welt and the Porsche Museum really do excellent jobs at offering added value to a retail experience.  Seeing the history, technology, and passion behind these products goes a long way, and can actually teach devotees a thing or two.