Alfa Romeo

Strategic Concepts & Mechanics

Signature MoveOblique Messaging for Direct Truths Cornerstone MoveFlip the Frame Before Solving the Problem Signature MoveClever and Lazy Beats Clever and Busy Competitive AdvantageBrands as Non-Shitness Guarantees Operating PrincipleSerendipity as Engineerable Asset Signature MoveKill Anxiety Before Building Preference Signature MoveSatisficing Over Maximising as Default Lens Strategic PatternSocial Embarrassment as Purchase Governor Cornerstone MoveFind the Missing Third That Logic Won't Tell You Signature MoveTransaction Cost as Hidden Competitor Competitive AdvantageOverheard Signal Beats Direct Message Decision FrameworkPath Dependency Precedes Brand Choice Cornerstone MoveSteal From Adjacent Fields, Not Your Own Risk DoctrineNaked Greed Destroys Brand Value Strategic PatternSmall Can Charges More Than Big Can Identity & CultureIdeals Outlive Strategies Cornerstone MoveClose Every Circle Until Control Is Complete Competitive AdvantageFashion Signature as Margin Multiplier Signature MovePaternalistic Covenant With the Valley Strategic PatternSubcontractor Apprenticeship as Espionage Strategic PatternLow Cost Many Models Flood Strategy Identity & CultureOrphan Hunger as Permanent Engine Cornerstone MoveBuy the Myth Then Rebuild It From the Product Up Risk DoctrineCash Fortress Before the Storm Hits Identity & CultureSilicon Valley Peers Not Italian Peers Operating PrincipleBring Production Home When Quality Fails Signature MoveEvery Euro Saved Is an Extra Euro in Profit Risk DoctrineOwnership Separated From Management Competitive AdvantageClosed Valley as Loyalty Fortress Signature MoveMove Before Being Overwhelmed Cornerstone MoveHostile Raid to Swallow the Whole Animal Capital StrategyWall Street Listing as Credibility Weapon Signature MovePocket Recorder on the Nightstand Signature MoveFactory Floor at Five AM, Never the Office Signature MoveMrs. Valeria Is the Real CEO Identity & CultureSixteen Commandments for Human Leadership Operating PrincipleRetire Into the Laboratory Never the Boardroom Competitive AdvantageDis Lu a Niun — Stealth as Strategy Cornerstone MoveScarcity Into Sweet: Substitute Until You Win Competitive AdvantageRaw Material Obsession to the Altitude Signature MoveFamily Treasury, Never the Stock Exchange Risk DoctrineSow Wisely, Accept Magpie Losses Signature MoveIncognito in the Supermarket Aisle Cornerstone MoveDiscover the Latent Desire, Then Invent the Category Strategic PatternChildren's Hearts Win Mothers' Wallets Cornerstone MoveBuild the Machine Nobody Can Copy Identity & CultureMissionary Over Mercenary Entrepreneur Signature MoveNo Party Without Ferrero Operating PrincipleDeseasonalize the Product Calendar Signature MoveSeventy Tastings Before Daylight

Primary Evidence

"Everybody says they obviously want to find the best television they can within their price bracket. They’d answer all these questions as if they were hyper-logical, they’d say that obviously if this thing costs less than the iPad, and it’s better, then they’ll buy it. Then reality comes into it, and actually, the reason they buy the iPad is that they know that every time they get out the Samsung, all their friends will say: “why did you get that, why didn’t you buy the iPad?” and that this will bring with it a little burst of anxiety and a little burst of effort. Never, never underestimate the importance of that. If you buy a Ford or you buy a BMW or a Volkswagen and it breaks down a lot, it’s Ford’s fault, and you and all your friends will go: “golly you’re really unlucky you bought that new Ford and the clutch plate’s gone, bloody hell, I do feel sorry for you”, and you will get a degree of sympathy from your friends, okay? If you go and buy an Alfa Romeo and the clutch plate goes, deep down all your friends are thinking: “what does he expect, he goes and buys an Alfa Romeo, what the hell does he expect?” If you’re going to buy this flash, weird Italian car, it’s going to break down."

Source:Rory Sutherland

"Immense factories spring up and grow where there were only fields before: Richard Ginori and Cartiere Binda to the south, along the Navigli, the new Centrale del Latte in via Castelbarco. To the east, on viale Corsica, Motta produces its panettones. Alfa Romeo, recently nationalized, is making racing cars at Portello. It's the golden age of the eight-cylinder sports cars."

Source:Leonardo Del Vecchio

""Ferrero was a reserved company, not very accessible to journalists, and for me, who came from Alfa Romeo and the public world, this was a peculiar novelty. I spoke to Mr. Michele about the need for Ferrero to open up to the outside world. His first move was to open the doors of the factories to schools. You can imagine the fascinated look of thousands of students who encountered endless jars of Nutella and Kinder Surprise eggs… It was also the beginning of a partial opening to the outside world so as to present Ferrero as a possible model for Italian industrialization.""

Source:Michele Ferrero

Appears In Volumes

Rory Sutherland Leonardo Del Vecchio Michele Ferrero