The Art of Excellent Products

Enchanting Customers with Premium Brand Experiences

Riccardo Illy

• Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781400225118
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Consulting
• Index: Business

Italian brands are known to create some of the most premium, sought-after products in the world. Learn to compete in the modern marketplace using the proven business principles that Italian brands have been employing for generations. 

While it is no secret that Italians create superior products that both withstand the threat of ongoing competition and stand the test of time, the specific business principles that have led to such tried and tested successes are shrouded in secrecy, until now.

Businessman Riccard Illy details personal experiences using these Italian business standards to run his family’s world-renowned coffee company for generations. Through the age of intense competition from Starbucks and Coffee Bean, the Illy empire has remained at the top of the coffee industry simply by employing key Italian business principles and values.

In The Art of Excellent Products, you will:

• Learn how to approach your research and development process to find ways to add quality to your products and brand.
• Understand how Italians have created so many brands that have stood the test of time.
• Learn how to approach the marketplace so that your product stands out as the go-to product.

 

By applying those principles to your business, you will ensure your products meet or exceed the level of quality necessary to be ultra-competitive in today’s market, even in an industry in which new companies aggressively challenge your brand daily.

INDEX

abbastanza brutto, 38

aesthetic standard, 38

“aesthetic sustainability” of products, 43–44

Agnelli, Edoardo, 84

Agnelli, Gianni, 83

Agnelli, Giovannino, 84

Agnelli, Marella, 83

Agnelli family, 47–48, 83–86

Agrimontana preserved fruits, 62

Alice in Wonderland (Carroll), 43

alignment, 26

of new brands with old names, 53

of production with business, 89–91

of short and long-term goals, 18

Alitalia, government takeover of, 141–42

Alixir, 53–54

“all-in-one” experience, 152

Amazon, 139

American business, 21

American consumers, expectations of, 50

amphoras, ancient technology of, 102

ancient methods, for refinement, 101–6

anticipation and nostalgia, 164

anti-Incanto approach of Walmart, 48–49

Apple Inc.

consistent story of, 51–52

elevating customer experience, 151

Arabica bean, 25, 62, 90

Aristotle, 35

art enthusiasts, novice, 4, 9

artisanal food businesses, 110–11

Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, 106

augmented quality, 101, 106, 152, 158

authenticity, 45–60

brand development and, 51–53

and business heritage, 45–48

commitment to, 53–54

consistency of, 118–19

consumers desire for, 45–46

and the Ferrari vineyard, 57–60

and illy, 54–56

Incanto, 46

performative, 46

quality of, 51

for a young business, 48–50

automation, patience and, 138–40

balsamic vinegar, DOP, 104

Barilla, 53–54, 97

baroque style, 79–80

Basilica del Santo, 8

batterie, 104

B Corp ethos, of family-run companies, 122–23

B corporations, 122–24

beauty, 33–44

Bisazza company example of, 38–42

consistent vision of, 37

in the eye of the beholder, 43–44

and functionality, 36

“the golden mea...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• One | Perfection
• Two | Coherence
• Three | Beauty
• Four | Authenticity
• Five | Family
• Six | Simplicity
• Seven | Cultivation
• Eight | Refinement
• Nine | Relationships
• Ten | Patience
• Eleven | Surprise
• Incanto
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author