Brandroad

Veuve Clicquot Champagne has one of the most fascinating founding stories ever told — truly worthy of a novel — yet the reason it’s most famous is far simpler: its yellow label.
Technically, this element is known as a distinctive asset.
We discuss this with Jenni Romaniuk, professor and researcher at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, author of numerous studies and books including Building Distinctive Brand Assets, and quite possibly the world’s leading expert in this field.

***

Sources:
- J. Romaniuk, Building Distinctive Brand Assets, Oxford University Press, 2018
- J. Romaniuk, Better Brand Health, Oxford University Press, 2023
- J. Romaniuk & B. Sharp, How Brands Grow Part 2, Oxford University Press, 2015
- Tilar J. Mazzeo, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, HarperCollins, 2008

Lo champagne Veuve Clicquot ha una delle storie di fondazione più avvincenti che esistano, davvero degna di un romanzo, eppure il motivo per cui è più famoso è molto più semplice: la sua etichetta gialla.
Tecnicamente questo elemento si chiama distincitive asset.
Ne parliamo con Jenni Romaniuk, docente e ricercatrice dell’Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, autrice di molti studi e libri tra cui «Building Distinctive Brand Assets» e, probabilmente, la più grande esperta al mondo in questo campo.

***

Fonti:
- J. Romaniuk, Building Distinctive Brand Assets, Oxford University Press, 2018
- J. Romaniuk, Better Brand Health, Oxford University Press, 2023
- J. Romaniuk, B. Sharp, How Brands Grow Part 2, Oxford University Press, 2015
- Tilar J. Mazzeo, The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, HarperCollins, 2008

Carlo Crocco founded Hublot, and Jean‑Claude Biver turned it into a brand able to stand the test of time.
Starting from this story, we explore the role of differentiation in branding together with Mark Ritson – marketing and brand management consultant for some of the world’s biggest brands and founder of the advanced Mini MBA program, as well as one of the most widely read and respected columnists in the marketing world.

***

More on MiniMBA: minimba.com

***

Sources:
- B. Weinstein, Timing Is Everything, Entrepreneur, 1 luglio 1996
- V. Gomelsky, Edgy watchmakers’ material links time and space, New York Times, 11 aprile 2007
- T. Hulse, Jean Claude Biver: Sleep is like dying, sleep takes your life away, Wired, 21 maggio 2018
- Marketing Deconstructed - Brand Management: Dropping The Stupid Stuff…, Australian Association of National Advertisers, YouTube
- J. Trout, S. Rivkin, Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition, Second edition, Wiley 2008
- L. Bruni, Il capitale narrativo, Città Nuova 2018

Carlo Crocco ha fondato Hublot, Jean‑Claude Biver lo ha trasformato in un brand capace di resistere alla prova del tempo.
A partire da questa storia, esploriamo il ruolo della differenziazione nel branding, insieme a Mark Ritson – consulente di marketing e brand management per alcuni dei più grandi brand del mondo e fondatore del corso formativo avanzato Mini MBA, nonché uno degli editorialisti più letti e apprezzati nel mondo del marketing.

***

Per maggiori informazioni sul MiniMBA: minimba.com

***

Fonti:
- B. Weinstein, Timing Is Everything, Entrepreneur, 1 luglio 1996
- V. Gomelsky, Edgy watchmakers’ material links time and space, New York Times, 11 aprile 2007
- T. Hulse, Jean Claude Biver: Sleep is like dying, sleep takes your life away, Wired, 21 maggio 2018
- Marketing Deconstructed - Brand Management: Dropping The Stupid Stuff…, Australian Association of National Advertisers, YouTube
- J. Trout, S. Rivkin, Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition, Seconda edizione, Wiley 2008
- L. Bruni, Il capitale narrativo, Città Nuova 2018

Brandroad is back.
For the first time, with international guests and bilingual episodes — in Italian and English.
This third edition is a mini-season that explores the present. What does it mean to do branding today? What are the hottest topics?
I’ve chosen four.
We start with differentiation — once everything, then suddenly nothing. We’ll discuss it with Mark Ritson, marketing and brand management consultant for some of the world’s biggest brands, founder of the Mini MBA, and one of the most respected columnists in the marketing world.
Then we move to distinctiveness, probably the single most crucial factor for brand success today. We’ll talk about it with Jenni Romaniuk, professor and researcher at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, author of Building Distinctive Brand Assets, and arguably the world’s leading expert on this topic.
Next comes brand management, to see how these ideas work in practice — how a leader runs an iconic brand today. We’ll discuss it with Carlo Colpo, Chief Marketing Officer of the Lavazza Group.
Finally, we close with creativity — now backed by more data than ever proving its essential role in brand growth and success. Our guest is Erik Kessels — artist, curator, and designer, creative partner at KesselsKramer, and a recent inductee into the Italian Art Directors Club Hall of Legends.
Welcome — this is the third season of Brandroad. And it starts on Friday.