Business culture brands
A book that has just been published analyses the fundamental element that sums up the image and the culture of businesses from an original perspective
The image of a business reflects its culture and its history. This is basically the gist of the essence of the entrepreneur and of his managers , but also of all those who work for him. At least, that’s how it should be. And it is in turn what is summed up in the company brand. A precious element (also in strictly financial terms), the brand should be understood and explained in order subsequently to understand the company behind it. Hence from the brand one can understand a lot about the nature of the company that created it and therefore its culture.
Alberto De Martini – among the most famous advertisers in Italy -, interprets the concept of brand in an original way, contributing to investigating its role within manufacturing and its many meanings.
In “Brand narrative strategy. Il segreto dell’onda” (Brand narrative strategy. The secret of the wave), De Martini has written a book that should be read with one’s mind cleared of all preconceptions. There is one idea at the heart of the book: the brand is a great ideological narration that is not dissimilar to Marxism or liberal thought. Like these, it is based on a system of values, a critical vision of reality, an ambition to change it in a direction that will improve the life of all people or part of these. When built correctly, it thus reflects the mind of the entrepreneur and of those who gave rise to the company alongside him. It is from the brand that all the rest naturally follows on from: the mother of all stories, the great story which every single advert, poster and event tells a part of (which is why the volume is entitled Brand narrative strategy). De Martini has therefore identified what the common narrative structure is to all types of brand that have gone on to be successful. Here the reasoning starts with a series of examples such as Barilla, Nike but most of all Facebook and Apple as well as IBM, Colussi, Red Bull, Toyota. The objective of this analysis is to cast the limelight on a characteristic wave-like structure comprising five groups of elements: values and legends, empathy, change, tools, processes.
Nevertheless, what counts is the highly concentrated analysis of the brand which reflects a much more genuine image compared to the ideologies with which it can be compared. It is on the brand, emphasises De Martini at the end of his work, that companies “rely”. “And ‘relying’ – in this case – is not a trivial verb. Because it is on the narrative strategies of brands that entire companies rely these days and, when these companies are the size of Apple, Toyota, Barclays or L’Oréal, large communities the size of regions of the world, with their live fabric, comprising millions of people among employees, suppliers, tradesmen, carriers, shareholders, and all their respective families”. What De Martini has written is in some ways hard and fast, and thus clear and true.
Brand narrative strategy. Il segreto dell’onda (The secret of the wave)
Alberto De Martini
Franco Angeli, 2017
A book that has just been published analyses the fundamental element that sums up the image and the culture of businesses from an original perspective
The image of a business reflects its culture and its history. This is basically the gist of the essence of the entrepreneur and of his managers , but also of all those who work for him. At least, that’s how it should be. And it is in turn what is summed up in the company brand. A precious element (also in strictly financial terms), the brand should be understood and explained in order subsequently to understand the company behind it. Hence from the brand one can understand a lot about the nature of the company that created it and therefore its culture.
Alberto De Martini – among the most famous advertisers in Italy -, interprets the concept of brand in an original way, contributing to investigating its role within manufacturing and its many meanings.
In “Brand narrative strategy. Il segreto dell’onda” (Brand narrative strategy. The secret of the wave), De Martini has written a book that should be read with one’s mind cleared of all preconceptions. There is one idea at the heart of the book: the brand is a great ideological narration that is not dissimilar to Marxism or liberal thought. Like these, it is based on a system of values, a critical vision of reality, an ambition to change it in a direction that will improve the life of all people or part of these. When built correctly, it thus reflects the mind of the entrepreneur and of those who gave rise to the company alongside him. It is from the brand that all the rest naturally follows on from: the mother of all stories, the great story which every single advert, poster and event tells a part of (which is why the volume is entitled Brand narrative strategy). De Martini has therefore identified what the common narrative structure is to all types of brand that have gone on to be successful. Here the reasoning starts with a series of examples such as Barilla, Nike but most of all Facebook and Apple as well as IBM, Colussi, Red Bull, Toyota. The objective of this analysis is to cast the limelight on a characteristic wave-like structure comprising five groups of elements: values and legends, empathy, change, tools, processes.
Nevertheless, what counts is the highly concentrated analysis of the brand which reflects a much more genuine image compared to the ideologies with which it can be compared. It is on the brand, emphasises De Martini at the end of his work, that companies “rely”. “And ‘relying’ – in this case – is not a trivial verb. Because it is on the narrative strategies of brands that entire companies rely these days and, when these companies are the size of Apple, Toyota, Barclays or L’Oréal, large communities the size of regions of the world, with their live fabric, comprising millions of people among employees, suppliers, tradesmen, carriers, shareholders, and all their respective families”. What De Martini has written is in some ways hard and fast, and thus clear and true.
Brand narrative strategy. Il segreto dell’onda (The secret of the wave)
Alberto De Martini
Franco Angeli, 2017