Naples helped me better understand global economy principles.



— Roberto Saviano

This quote comes from a book by a writer who was assassinated by the mafia for revealing its secrets. I don’t intend to take such risks, so I’m going to share some legal ways of making a brand unique, effective, and unsinkable — like the mafia.:)We know that a brand needs to be special to outperform the competition and stand out in the marketplace. In practice, it’s not always as fun as it sounds. A company comes up with a USP, builds great product features, orders a special trending design. But as time goes by, the startup gets lost among its peers and stops growing, despite a promising strategy, regular updates, and active marketing efforts. What went wrong?One of the reasons is misunderstanding of what exactly makes a brand unique, how it works, and how not to lose that uniqueness during the growth and scaling of a startup.To understand it, we need to look at any iconic brand and see what makes it so. It will serve as an example. There’s a lot we can borrow from these guys and use in our own strategy.Get ready, because what I’m going to say will shock you.

Uniqueness means being distinct. Creating an iconic brand is like starting a mafia or a cult, minus the criminal aspect.

This isn’t just a humorous simile. An iconic brand has all the characteristics of a mob octopus that holds the world in its tentacles. A strong brand is akin to a religion, a cult, an object of worship, with its own leaders, acolytes, and missionaries that spread ideas and products. The word “religion” means “a bond of faith.” Consumers are bound together by their belief in and loyalty to a brand. And just as every religion is unique and distinct, so is a strong brand unique and distinct from the sea of mediocrity. In any case, brand cultists believe their group to be apart from everyone else and are proud of it.

If you analyze how a cult is organized and what makes it effective and apply these principles to your brand, you will achieve incredible results, even if you have a small company, modest finances, and a non-unique initial product.So, are you ready to become the godfathers of the Brand Mafia? Then let’s go!

The Mafia/Cult Model

Most entrepreneurs usually rely on their current capabilities and never imagine their ideas and products taking over the world. But those who settle for less, get less. Strive to go beyond mundane reality and don’t limit your brand vision in the long run. One day, your brand may be the octopus that takes over the world. This vision must be built into the foundation. For this purpose, the internal ideology of the brand and all strategic steps and processes should be aimed at creating your brand mafia, growing it, gradually introducing its tentacles into the market.