We interview Emanuele Sacerdote, entrepreneur and writer who has recently published his latest book LEGENDARY BRANDS – In praise of unrepeatability, scalability and charm. We ask him, given his passion for art, beauty and everything that characterizes his intrinsic value, but above all how to be a "legend".
In your opinion, what is the relationship between the legendary brand and art?"
Without intending to provoke anything, I thought it interesting to combine the legendary brand with the work of art and, to understand this combination, the key word is unrepeatability. Leonardo da Vinci is an example to explain well the idea of artistic creativity as it is characterized by its characteristics of unrepeatability, uniqueness and genius. The working hypothesis of my essay is that, like artistic creativity, there is a commercial creativity that substantially reflects the same characteristics. I like this parallel between art and the legendary brand as both are the result of a cultural, cognitive and cerebral process that opens up new frontiers of knowledge and takes mankind to a higher level. The work of art is considered by definition unrepeatable and virtuous and this peculiarity is what increases its value, exclusivity and prestige. The strong assumption of my work is that only an excellent and distinctive gesture of great commercial creativity can aspire to become a masterpiece of new proposition, identity and legendary value.
It could Than we say that the founder is an artist?
Certainly, a legendary brand is based on the randomness of the founder's birth in a precise historical moment and on a series of fortunate actions and decisions, the result of a precise intention, vision and identity of the founder himself which can be assimilated to the work of an artist . The founder is the charismatic and heroic “artist” who catalyzes success and fame, his noble work becomes the sign and proof of his courage, his imagination and his time.
So “being unrepeatable” is the only legendary status?
Absolutely not, but it is the most relevant. In my interpretation, the rare good is that brand that has been able to become a legend by overturning the rules of the market and assuming a high identity recognition and superior value as it is considered unique, original and extraordinary. In addition to unrepeatability, I also consider scalability – the potential applicability and replicability of the legendary brand in different segments of the core business (line extension) or other industries (business extension) – and charm – the ability to attract and seduce with a original and superior beauty. These three peculiarities create the conditions for becoming a legend: then it takes hunger, consecration, sedimentation and social affirmation added to by so much success and commercial fortunes.
Of the various principles of the “Legendary Brand Code” that I read intrigued me principle 7, on treasure. What is the relationship among the legend e the treasure?
Quite simply, "being a legend" means having an incomparable and unrivaled industrial heritage as it is unrepeatable, therefore one must learn to treat this consolidated heritage as if it were a work of art and conserve and manage it as such. So the legend is the treasure. The archive must therefore be considered as the first strategic investment to be planned to reduce the negative impacts from the probable loss of unrepeatability and, therefore, from the inexorable erosion of legend and competitive advantage.
Legendary Brands describes how these legendary masterpieces are the perfect alchemy between unrepeatability, scalability and fascination and how they have been able to produce legend, settle legend, preserve legend, celebrate legend and regenerate legend.
The basic idea is that having a good history or being a market leader is not enough to be considered a legend, but you need to be able to build a unique entrepreneurial path made up of these factors: commercial creativity and identity, fame, the consecration and the stratification, the founder, the forces, the typologies, the treasure, the empire, the regeneration and the better world. The formula presented by Legendary Brands could be summarized in: innovative discontinuity, public consecration, intragenerational sedimentation and cognitive regeneration.
Like the previous essay - Breviary on strategic thinking - the ultimate goal is to sow doubts and to whisper new perspectives.
Legendary Brands examines the super-niche of wonderful brands from a perspective of analysis and evaluation of both method and merit. The “making history, building legend” paradigm, the Code of legendary brands and the essence of the tetrahedron – are the main models of interpretation, as well as a historical perspective on the role of the legend yesterday and today and, perhaps, also tomorrow.
The essay unfolds in five chapters: 1) emotional dividends, 2) being a legend, 3) the Code of legendary brands, 4) the synthesis of the legendary brand, 5) strategic intelligence at the service of the legendary brand. Furthermore, in conclusion, a short philosophy lesson is presented - by Stefano De Luca and Guido Solza - to underline the continuity between the most modern and current managerial knowledge and ancient wisdom. We recommend reading it to anyone wishing to deal with a paradigm that wants to elevate and broaden the view on all aspects within a super-niche.
It is not recommended for those who make it too easy to read. Fantasizing that everyone, absolutely every brand, can truly become a legend.
Emmanuel Priest he is an entrepreneur, writer and teacher.
He began his career in advertising agencies and then continued in various international companies mainly dealing with strategic marketing, business development and business management: Levi Strauss & Co, Autogrill, Ermenegildo Zegna, Ferrari Auto, Moleskine and Barbisio.
In the last decade he has taken care of his family's company Strega Alberti Benevento and at the same time founded SOULSIDE, a strategic consultancy boutique.
He combined his professional career with the publication of essays on business topics - "Retail strategies in fashion and luxury" 2006, "Travel retailing" 2009, "Return to the shop" 2014, "Historic operational and silent companies" 2014, "Retailization" 2016 , "Breviary on strategic thinking" 2019 - and teaching in business schools - Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, ISTUD Foundation, IULM University.
www.emanuelesacerdote.com
