This week on The Melting Pot we learned from Massimiliano Pogliani, an Italian entrepreneur with an incredible experience in brand development. Throughout his career, he has helped turn Nespresso into a global brand, he has taken Vertu, a luxury Nokia product, continued its development, and sold it on to private equity. Massimiliano was also the first Chief Executive Officer at Illy Coffee who wasn’t a family member. 

In this episode, Massimiliano shares the playbook he used at Nespresso to turn a locally managed product into a global premium brand, how they got to the point where 50% of their sales were coming through referrals, and how they built a community that was referring and acting as ambassadors and salespeople for their product and their brand. He also talks about the cultural transformation he undertook at Illy Coffee and how he found the promoters within the company that allowed him to do it. 

Massimiliano shares the essential pillars of building a premium brand, focusing on product excellence, emotional engagement, and consistent brand management. His insights, drawn from his roles at Vertu and Nespresso, offer valuable lessons on exceeding customer expectations, creating a brand community, and fostering emotional attachment with consumers. His emphasis on personal connections, team management, and the development of a cohesive brand culture provides valuable insights for luxury brand managers looking to create meaningful and emotionally engaging brand experiences.

A fantastic conversation about building and running three amazing businesses and brands.

Download and listen to learn more.

On today’s podcast: 

• The pillars of creating a luxury brand
• Positioning Nespresso as a global luxury brand
• The importance of living your brand
• Changing the culture at Illy Coffee
• How to find the promoters within the business to change your culture

Follow Massimiliano Pogliani:

Px3 Partners

LinkedIn

Book recommendations: 

Who Moved My Cheese

Out of the Maze

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