Simona Nespoli

Has #marketing lost its way? In a society increasingly shaped by speed, personalization and algorithmic feeds, the erosion of critical thinking and responsible decision-making is becoming more visible. And marketing — once a discipline designed to understand and create value for customers — may be part of the problem. In a recent analysis, Paolo Guenzi (SDA Bocconi School of Management) reflects on how the misapplication of marketing principles can contribute to a broader cultural decline. Tools intended to simplify and enhance the customer experience can, when distorted, foster impatience, passivity and superficiality. A recent reflection highlights how tools originally designed to improve relationships between companies and their customers — simplicity, automation, emotional storytelling — can, when distorted, contribute to the spread of impatience, passivity and even ignorance. Five key trends are accelerating this shift: 🔹 The reduction of marketing to mere communication, favoring form over substance 🔹 The fragmentation of responsibilities among hyper-specialized external actors 🔹 A dangerous focus on short-term results at the expense of strategic thinking 🔹 Algorithm-driven standardization that undermines innovation 🔹 The growing dehumanization of decision-making, particularly with the rise of AI In this landscape, marketing professionals must reclaim a deeper purpose: to orchestrate the entire organization around the long-term needs of customers and society. This means being at the table — not on the sidelines — when it comes to shaping how digitalization and sustainability are translated into action. It’s time for marketers to reflect critically on their role, not just in business, but in the cultural and ethical trajectory of our societies.

76

7 commenti

🌐 In today’s hyperconnected world, inertia is a greater risk than disruption.   📗 In “Market Strategies in a Hyper-Connected World” (EgeaEditore, 2025), Alessandro Arbore argues that strategy must become a living process—constantly evolving, rarely fixed. The core lesson? Success lies in dynamic adaptation, not static plans.   What does this mean in practice?   👉​ Leaders must decide when to initiate change, when to join existing movements, and when to co-evolve, aligning boldness with defensibility. (Egea Online)   👉​ Marketing must reclaim its place as a strategic engine, not a downstream function. It’s no longer enough to execute plans—you must lead experiments, interpret signals, and shift course when data and intuition demand.   👉​ AI is a powerful ally—but one that must be steered. In marketing, generative AI should augment human insight, not replace it; success depends on preserving judgment, reputation, and tacit knowledge.   Arbore calls for new mindsets in leadership, marketing, and innovation. The environments we compete in are no longer linear or predictable.   📌 Only organizations that embed learning, agility, and “abductive” thinking (a way of reasoning that starts from incomplete or ambiguous information and generates the most plausible hypothesis to explain it) into their core will thrive.   👉 For those who lead, market, or design strategy in any capacity, this book can be a strategic guide to staying relevant when change is the only constant.   Discover more on SDA Bocconi insight: https://lnkd.in/dS53QqG3

84

👓 What the eyewear industry teaches us about successful #growth and bold and impeccable #corporate #strategy #ideation and #execution? Based on my recent SDA Bocconi #Insight contribution, here are five key lessons: 1️⃣ Vertical integration is a launchpad for innovation, not just control. 2️⃣ Proprietary brands strengthen portfolios beyond licensing logic. 3️⃣ Global listening matters, growth requires local insight, not just distribution. 4️⃣ Italy (and Veneto) is more than a supply chain: it’s an R&D lab in motion. 5️⃣ Eyewear is an important gateway to Made in Italy, cultural and emotional. Eyewear proves that heritage sectors can be reimagined, with the right balance of craft, scale, and vision. ➡️ Full article here (Italian version available): https://lnkd.in/d6M-WsRN #Eyewear #LuxuryStrategy #MadeInItaly #B2B #Innovation #SDAInsight #GrowthStrategy #Symbolicindustries

129

In Germany, return rates regularly pass 50%. But in Italy, they’re just above 20%. Why the gap? 👀 Across Europe, brands face wildly different return behaviours and without proper benchmarking, it’s impossible to know if you're ahead or falling behind. 📊 Take a look at the average return rate across 14 key e-commerce markets: https://lnkd.in/eg4vdVFm

52

3 commenti

Como 1907 and The Players Fund launch startup accelerator program Italian Serie A club #Como1907 has teamed up with London-based #VC The Players Fund to launch #ComoVentures, a new accelerator designed to support early-stage startups. The program will focus on sectors closely tied to sports and entertainment, including health and human performance, hospitality and travel, media technology, retail, mobility, and sustainability. The initiative gives selected startups access to Como’s team, facilities, and stadium operations in exchange for equity, with the football club leveraging its entrepreneurial approach — which already includes ventures in brewing and tourism — to integrate innovation into its operations. Como’s Chief Revenue Officer C. Ryan Shelton noted that the program aims both to enhance fan experience, from ticketing to transport, and to identify new business opportunities for the club. The Players Fund, an athlete-backed investment platform, will lead startup selection and oversee daily management of the accelerator. According to Andy Marston, Head of Corporate Venture at The Players Fund, three to four startups will be chosen for the first cohort, beginning in January 2026 with a six-month program that concludes with a demo day alongside Como’s commercial partners. Applications remain open until October, with pitch day scheduled for November. The article on The Sport Business Journal in the first comment.

64

12 commenti

Thrilled to see my perspective on emerging customer behavior making headlines on Italy's #1 business newspaper (Il Sole 24 Ore) Giampaolo Colletti and Fabio Grattagliano perfectly synthesized what I've been observing: the lines between gaming, commerce, and brand engagement are dissolving before our eyes. The article highlights three game-changing trends that every marketer should understand: ☝️ Virtual worlds as marketing frontiers: Platforms like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft aren't just games anymore, but act like immersive marketing ecosystems where brands can create authentic experiences that resonate with Gen Alpha and Gen Z. ✌️ The rise of new forms of "advergame": We're witnessing the emergence of advertising that doesn't interrupt the experience but enhances it. Brands are becoming part of the gameplay itself (aka creating value rather than disrupting it). 🫶 Community-driven commerce: These platforms are proving that the future of retail isn't selling products, it's building COMMUNITIES WHERE COMMERCE HAPPENS NATURALLY. What fascinates me most is how these gaming environments are teaching us new rules for customer engagement: 1. authenticity over promotion, 2. experience over transaction, 3. community over audience. The implications for traditional retail and marketing are profound and they apply beyond Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft. 😉 -gs

120

9 commenti