What is the Vicomte way of marketing built on?

Creating a Renaissance Brand is not rocket science, but it is not easy either. It’s an approach that brings marketing and business together. Below are Vicomte’s 2x3 core beliefs related to business and marketing, distilled over the years. They philosophically underpin the Vicomte way of marketing we will use to help solve your marketing challenges.

Business

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RISK – “Clear water has no fish” (old Chinese saying)

• In the ambiguity and chaos of muddy waters lies the biggest opportunity.
• Risk is more than a fun university board game. It is what drives societies forward.
• Risk requires empathy and insight (see “Beliefs about Marketing”).
• Risk/reward can best be valued if one has a point of view on a certain destination.
• Risk is taken by people, and prevented by people.
• Intrapreneurship is great, but not the same as true Entrepreneurship. Both work.

OPPORTUNITY COST – “Value is what a damned fool will pay for it”

• Life is always better when you create options – a portfolio of choice.
• Focus on what matters, and manage “the rest” differently to create a future option.
• NPV is a necessary condition. E(motion)PV is the sufficient one.
• ROI is a necessary condition. ROL(ife) / ROF(amily) / ROE(motion) the sufficient one.
• “Utile Dulci” – combine business and pleasure as you progress. Life is too short.
• Leadership is all about decision making with the least imperfect data.

STAMINA – “Be like Bamboo” (Chinese for "stay strong yet flexible")

• A Renaissance point of view always comes with opposition. Let's Debate!
• The "long term" is made of "many short terms". First things first.
• Brand passion generation moves from inside to outside to inside again over time – and takes time.
• "No guts, no glory" – and with that comes "No pain, no gain".
• With greatness comes also the “burden of greatness”.
• Only continuous improvement culture = repeat business: create version 1.0 to version n, with n=infinity

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Marketing

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CAPABILITY – “Marketing’s mission is to make selling unnecessary” (Peter Drucker)

• Capability is about Why, then about Who and What (Brand Health), and only then about How. All in Context.
• Capability is 20% Art, 40% Science, and 40% Discipline (routines, people, knowledge and budgets).
• Secret Formula: only measured capability, linked to performance, leads to sustainable capability.
  (See also a separate insight on "the Miracle Wealth Creation Algorithm for a CMO").
• Everybody in the company is a marketer, and should want to be.
• Capability is like company software: iterate regularly to stay salient and best in class.
• Capability building: the single most rewarding effort a renaissance company will do.

BRAND HEALTH – “Brand health today is topline tomorrow”

• Marketing = Finance = Business Model critical.
• "Consumers" are actually "people". Only people have real hopes, dreams, desires, and fears.
• Brand Health is about creating people’s willingness to pay and reduction of price elasticity.
• Attitude is the necessary condition. Behavior the sufficient one.
• Measure brand health as frequently as makes sense. Link it to pricing to get rewarded.
• Brand Health is by far highest among true fans. If not, they are not true fans.

BUDGETS – “The ideal Marketing budget is ...zero”

• Renaissance Man can learn a lot from Restaurant Man.
• Create owners in your restaurant, not waiters and busboys who just may rent it.
• Hunger is the best sauce, but a starving artist may die eventually.
• Any first dollar, invest in your true fans. The second too. And the third. Fans first.
• Retention is the new acquisition. Turn your top fans into true brand ambassadors .
• Connect as direct as you technologically can (with social media and data science)

In true renaissance spirit, these beliefs are subject to constructive debate.