We live in a world where standing out gets harder every day. The explosion of messaging, fragmentation of media platforms, and AI's tendency toward average outputs are only some of the signs of the perfect storm that marketers must navigate to stay relevant.

A Kantar study from a few years ago confirms this challenge: brand differentiation across all industries has decreased dramatically year after year over the last decade.

We can't navigate a storm without a compass—we need to build bulletproof fundamentals for our brands. The most iconic brands, those that consistently stand out in culture, all share razor-sharp fundamentals that make them radically simple, clearly defined in their boundaries, and emotionally potent because they're rooted in deep human tensions.

Unfortunately, our agendas are so packed with meetings and deadlines that we dedicate too little time to this discipline—by far the one with the greatest impact on our marketing ROI.

To find this Compass, Alessandro draws inspiration from 'Ikigai'—the Japanese concept of life's purpose found at the intersection of what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs, and what you can be paid for. For brands, this translates into the sweet spot between a brand's belief system, the business it operates in, and the human tension it addresses. Finding this sweet spot is the secret to building a powerful, authentic positioning that stands out.

In line with this philosophy, Alessandro helps brand leaders sharpen their fundamentals, find their own 'Ikigai,' and ignite consumer connections through powerful storytelling.