Luxury Marketing Strategies: Today's Generation

Grandma, would you mind lending me the Kelly bag?

There's something fascinating about the way luxury intersects with the financial markets. 

The staggering $30 billion aggregate market cap loss suffered by the industry in May (BOF, Luxury Stocks Lose $30 Billion in One Day on Demand Fears) and the more recent Richemont's 5% decline (BOF, Richemont Drops on Signs Luxury Demand Falling in US, China) captivate us more than the ups and downs of, say, the car market, both new and pre-owned, fixed income, or the now struggling commercial real estate.

It's easier to relate to tangible objects like a watch, a pen, or a belt, and for the fortunate few, to collections of such items. Even the financial abstraction, the stock market value of those possessions, holds an allure that is just unthinkable for any other “regular” metrics such as the ones tracking numbers on Manhattan skyscrapers office vacancies.

Anytime we encounter numerical entities that go beyond our grasp, LVMH becomes the first European company to hit $500bn market value, FT -can you really make sense of 500 billion..?-  whether they're in the green or red, our eyes widen, and we instinctively touch our watches—or any other magical talismans we happen to have - that now come alive with a financial prowess we never really bothered to consider in its magnitude. It's as if we're saying, "That's me!"

I too am part of that world, of those large numbers that, unlike “regular” stock indices, we can touch and “experience” firsthand via their precious worldly embodiment.

Luxury marketing strategies: Marco Gianni

Luxury Marketing and Luxury Sagas

Anytime we step into the grand luxury stores, better said, "luxury cathedrals," we do not just proceed to “buy stuff” but we rather embark on an actual “pilgrimage”. 

There, we are greeted by prophet-like sales reps solemnly spreading the word of different “creeds”. 

They invite us to enter a realm that transcends the confines of physical space. The experience elevates us, making us feel, right there and then, true protagonists, active participants in luxury sagas we can read of in pink financial papers and glossy magazines or watch on Netflix. 

While we contemplate watches, discussing dials, and nonchalantly “dropping” archaic references with a grin of complacency that will boost our ego for the next two weeks we do feel empowered, changed, just better overall, merely at the thought of acquiring our next little, or big, treasure. Value, just as expenditure, is always a relative measure. 

Luxury has the ability to create a positive emotional vortex even between a “soulless” entity such as a “stock/share” and its perceived value. 

Mr. LVMH's analysis on the subject is spot on, as one would expect: “I'm going to disappoint you, but desirability is proportional to value," he said. "LVMH shares are also a luxury product”. (Will the extraordinary boom in luxury goods ever end? FT)

Luxury marketing for gen z: Marco Gianni

Mr. Arnault offers us a perspective often overlooked in the broad evaluations of luxury stocks. These stocks also fall in that plethora of peripheral symbolism upon which the luxury mystique is built. 

But, at a closer look, that line of thought is not all that exotic, not to be relegated to the confines of discussion debating frivolous, almost immoral, topics such as precious silk and refined, hand-applied embroidery. 

"A car is nothing other than a thousand mechanical parts and rational decision in search of a single emotion that makes them attractive and sellable"

(Kumar Galhotra, Head of Ford Motor North America). 

So long to the financial artifice of the Homo Economicus and labor value theory. 

Make way, finally, for the Homo Symbolicus on the central stage of international finance. He’s been knocking on the door since 1955: “The consumer is not as functionality oriented as he used to be — if he ever really was.' (Symbols for Sale, S.J. Levy, Harvard Business Review, March-April 1955).

Homo Symbolicus: Luxury for today's market

The luxury market and its financial projections are the quintessential embodiment of Van Mises's economic theory: drawing a separation between an actual, objective value and a subjective and personally perceived one makes no sense. 

Marketing and innovative thinking: Rory Sutherland (Alchemy)

All contextual and so-called ancillary values contribute to the overall value-creation process. 

Not sure? Try and have a 3-star meal while standing on a sidewalk kiosk. It does not taste that good. (Rory Sutherland, Ted talk Athens, Perspective is everything).   

In a post-capitalist, post-Fordist, and even post-Tomfordist economy—characterized by abundance and immediate access to anything, anywhere, at any time at the click of a button—the consumer's preference is the key economic driver, the only one that can give actual meaning and relevance to the labor theory of value.

Only a car that is sold to and driven by a human has value. The ones laying in outdoor parking lots do not. Those are just assembled mechanics and electronics. A car that is not driven is not a car. It’s a mere economic potentiality. 

Given the monetary interests (translation: consulting) that gravitate around that immense body of work that posits the atomized, perfectly informed, and coldly value-maximizing individual at its core, it is not a wonder that the “all-encompassing and all knowing-multi-colored-chart and infinite-spreadsheet-approach”  is still dominant and also believed by ever more quizzed buyers that are convinced to have no other choice since…everybody is, still, doing it.

But the reality is dawning. Charts no longer do. (Our volatile age defies spreadsheet strategy, G. Tett, FT)

Words, when worthy of this name, cut to the chase in a much more pragmatic, intuitive way projecting an animated image, in lively sound and colors that we can immediately relate to as we experienced it in our “real” lives.

Luxury and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

"Grandma, can you lend me the Kelly bag?" perfectly encapsulates the spirit of our time. 

Luxury Boom: new marketing goals

The image, majestically coined by Rana Foroohar on the pages of the Financial Times (Luxury boom shows the staying power of the ultra-rich), of a young woman asking her grandmother the permission to borrow the iconic Kelly bag perfectly captures the exceptional essence of luxury and of our times in general. 

Luxury has never operated on the post-rationalization logic permeating the now, not surprisingly, much troubled "value" segment. Instead, it has always targeted something far more elusive, undefinable, unquantifiable, and infinitely more strategic and important—a mindset passed down through generations.

As Daniel Langer, one of the leading experts in the field, puts it (In Luxury, Mindset Is All That Matters, Jing Daily), it is only that intangible asset, that mental approach, much before any strategic elaboration, that can preserve luxury within the realm of dreams, a realm so cherished and yet so inaccessible by all the value creation “rationalists”, the “reductionist Newtonians” as Rory Sutherland puts it (Alchemy, The Magic of Original Thinking in a World of Mind-Numbing Conformity, Rory Sutherland).

The industry news constantly bombards us with headlines about executive changes (Kering tries to fix Gucci with management overhaul; FT) and alliances and strategic acquisitions by major players to ensure the efficiency and sustainability of value chains (Italian Fashion Groups Set Aside Rivalries to Preserve 'Made in Italy'; BOF). These are all valid endeavors that warrant pursuit and implementation.

However, the risk of solely relying on what can be quantified, explained, aggregated, maximized, and reported with apparent objectivity as the ultimate strategic horizon is the most perilous path one can take. 

Luxury marketing strategies: Marco Gianni

The correctness and logic of the decision-making process alone do not guarantee ensuring strategic soundness. All aggregate data analysis is useless if an emotion is not sparked. 

If luxury is losing ground, as it seems, it means it is not creating real, meaningful value. So, it is not luxury by default. Today's economic challenge, at large, is not to just create perfectly functioning objects but object-cause of desire. Lacan “nailed it” and so did, in 1901, W.R. Leach in his seminal work The Land of Desire: “Without desire, a market can never truly thrive”. 

So, dear grandma, could you please lend me the Kelly bag?

Marco Gianni Esq.

Head of strategy at https://www.hologramcommunication.it 

True Luxury is Never "Comfortable"

LUXURY MARKETING STRATEGY - Professor Aswath Damodaran is one of the greatest names in corporate finance, an absolute luminary in the field of financial valuation strategy.

Read more: True Luxury is Never "Comfortable"

He is active on the stages of the world's most prestigious university classrooms, and capable of single-handedly influencing the stock valuations of the largest multinationals.

In his numerous talks, Prof. Damodaran often cites the "Ferrari" case as one of the highest expressions of what Dr. Daniel Langer, a global authority in the luxury market and consultant for Ferrari among others, defines as ALV, Added Luxury Value – that nonlinear value creation ability that only luxury possesses.

Dr. Marco Gianni, representative of Dr. Langer for the Italian market, elaborates on the topic in this article with a cross-cutting view of the financial-business analysis approach expressed by Professor Damodaran, as presented in his talk at the CFA Association Switzerland.

The Ferrari brand stands out among all other automotive companies for a profitability that does not belong to the car market. 

Ferrari is not an automotive company

The explanation? Ferrari is not an automotive company and should not be valued as such. 

Words have tremendous power, rarely adequately considered, in constructing the proper mental framework to evaluate a company's economic development space. 

If one considers Uber as a car-sharing company, it will move and compete in a market worth about $100 billion, but if, instead, it is qualified as a "logistics" enterprise, the reference market will be worth $300 billion. 

Luxury marketing strategy and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

The acquisition of new market share will have a different impact depending on whether it occurs in the former rather than the latter economic space. 

The purchase of a Ferrari offers none of the practicalities and functionalities of a normal car and surpasses the "discomfort" or driving difficulties of even other high-level sports brands like Porsche or Aston Martin. 

The purchase of a Ferrari is, as Damodaran says, the purchase of a ticket to a super-exclusive club, totally "impermeable" to any macroeconomic movement, well insulated from all those factors that affect or afflict ordinary mortals or even those not so common who can afford only a Maserati Ghibli. 

Read this for more insight on Luxury Marketing Strategy

Luxury: Ticket to a super-exclusive club

Luxury marketing strategy and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

The quintessential luxury trait of a Ferrari is revealed by the longevity of the brand, understood as complete emancipation and prior renunciation even of that mode of use distinctive of every mechanical construct composed of 4 wheels and an engine: the act of driving. 

A Ferrari can simply exist for it own sake. The reason it exists is completely intrinsic and self-sufficient. 

No functionality is required except in a potentiality that may never materialize or may only happen once a year, thus trespassing into another realm, that of ritual, procession, and celebration. 

Never just simple "driving". 

So, the behavior of the Professor's neighbor who is "content" to drive around the block once a year and then leave his “red-one” well-guarded in a secure garage doesn't seem all that extravagant. 

Knowing that the Ferrari is parked in a hyper-security garage is all he needs to rationalize the expense. 

Paying for state-of-the-art electronic security or armed guards that protect it is not perceived as an additional cost but as a satisfaction-generating factor: it's like keeping the sacred flame of a modern vestal virgin alive. 

Luxury: A satisfaction-generating factor

The Professor's narrative captures the very essence, the differentiating value of a Ferrari, as an embodiment of the concept of luxury that, in my view, cannot rely "solely" on scarcity. 

The reference to the "Ghibli case," the accessible luxury model from Maserati, is perfectly centered as an inevitable trade-off between expanding market share and declining profitability. 

This is due to both increased production costs and the loss of brand value in terms of "exclusivity and uniqueness". 

Now, my assertion is that even if Maserati, or any other high-end sports car brand, were to limit and reduce the quantity of their production to imitate Ferrari, they would never achieve the net profitability of 18% attained by the prancing horse. 

Luxury marketing strategy and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

The secret of the Ferrari brand lies at a deeper psychological level, well beyond the awareness of participating in one of the most exclusive clubs in the world. 

Out of pure curiosity, one notes that the most exclusive club in the world is that of combat jet pilots who have pressed the "eject" button of their supersonic aircraft. And that cannot just be a freak occurrence.

Luxury Marketing Strategy: the real cost

Every authentic luxury item entails a level of sacrifice that cannot be confined to the economic sphere. 

The rigorous criteria for purchasing and the willingness to submit to the "Ferrari House Code of Conduct" which does not shy away from expressing the most blatant "reprimands" for famous and wealthy clients like Justin Bieber, Floyd Mayweather, and even one of the untouchable Kardashians, are those "soft" factors that delineate a very clear and precise boundary between those who belong and those who do not. 

Accepting any form of limitation on the use of an asset of which exclusive ownership has been acquired is the greatest "marker" of the brand's value as an expression of a true cosmos of well-defined values. 

Luxury marketing strategy and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

So, money alone is not enough. 

There is no defying the laws of financial gravity without a true and complete commitment to a code of values that all devotes abide by. 

Non-compliant behavior would be the greatest value destroyer. An unacceptable risk. 

But even this analysis does not provide the true "key" unlocking the “magic” of the brand. 

My assertion is that the day Ferrari starts producing efficient, flawless, reliable cars like Porsche, it will lose market share. It will just be another sports car. Fast, expensive, but still a car that falls within the realm of "usability," perhaps with excessive functionalities, but not nearly as exotic and “wild” as only a Ferrari can be. A Porsche, after all, is made to be driven, even for grocery shopping. 

The luxurious waste of Ferrari, on the other hand, lies in the fact that the car is not perfect! Because that's how it's intended! It's not perfect, stable, or reliable at all, given its price tag! 

And precisely this is a source of PRIDE! 

"…Hear, my lord," said Goneril. "Why do you need twenty, ten, or five people to look after you in a house where twice the number are ordered to serve you?" "Why do you need even one?" said Regan. "Oh, don't argue about necessity! Even our meanest beggars have things they can do without. If you don't give a man more than he needs, his life won't be any better than an animal's. You're a lady. If you dress only to keep warm, then there wouldn't be any need for the beautiful fashionable clothes you wear, which barely keep you warm. But true need..." 
Shakespeare (King Lear, Act II, Scene IV) has captured it perfectly. 

No true luxury exists without true excess, which guarantees complete emancipation from anything even remotely oriented towards functionality or subject even to the most imaginative and exaggerated attempts at rationalization. 

A Ferrari cannot be rationalized. It makes no sense from any logical perspective. The essence of Ferrari is to challenge logic in a very unique way, all its own. 

Marketing Strategy: challenge logic in a very unique way

To realize itself, to fulfill the buyer, a Ferrari cannot simply be purchased. It must be "mastered" to enter that club that is not comprised of "mere" Ferrari owners, but of true Ferraristas. 

The difference is as subtle as it is profound. The Ferrarista is knowledgeable about all things Ferrari. He converses with Ferrari mechanics at the dealership with familiarity, frowns down with satisfaction and inexplicable joy in the face of problems that should never arise. 

This is the quintessence of luxury: the ability to transform a flaw into an exclusive feature to be appreciated, understood, and confronted, only by those who are “in the know”. 

These are the distinguishing marks of exclusivity and membership, triggering a positive economic response for the brand by generating a desire that extends far beyond the initial level of admission – owning the car – to continuously progress with the need to increase and demonstrate one's status and position as a true Ferrarista through the purchase of more Ferraris, participation in events and competitions, and so on. This is the pinnacle of an unstoppable Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). 

Luxury and sacrifice by Marco Gianni: example Damodaran and Ferrari

To translate all this into an economic narrative that paves a smooth path to financial sustainability, Ferrari not only needs to avoid diluting its value through increased production but also must ensure the ongoing creation of true Ferraristas. 

These are the individuals who don't fret over the fact that the technology on the car dashboard hasn't improved a bit in the last ten years. It's like using an iPhone 6. A leap back in time. 

So, how can new Ferraristas be cultivated and not become scarce? Ferrari must invest deeply in areas beyond the automotive/racing/engine world. This is part of the luxury marketing strategy.

The foray into fashion is a clear sign of this awareness. Gaming must also be incorporated on a grand scale, with extended and immersive reality, placements in films, possibly art fairs, sponsorship of a female Ferrari racing team, and any other endeavor that will oversee Ferrari's social relevance as a creator of meaning outside its characteristic industrial perimeter. 

Luxury must be permeated by a so distinct and unique a "meaning" that today can no longer be guaranteed by the past or by ordinary and "discounted" efforts like racing or the construction of a new Ferrari Park or a necessary renovation of the Ferrari Museum in Modena. 

"In a world of physical abundance, it's a lack of meaning that can kill you."
(V. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning). 

The Ferrarista knows they can go from 0 to 100 in 4 seconds if they wished; the exceptional is within reach; the Ferrarista is the pilot who can eject the seat from a supersonic plane. 

Luxury: The exceptional is within reach

It will all revolve around the continuous creation of meaning that can give even an inert Ferrari in your garage a sense. It's about keeping the flame alive, never letting it extinguish under the threat of capital punishment. 

This is not just about a simple community but about true "communion," one that makes you adhere to the norm even when "no one is watching." 

It's the belief that forgives imperfection because true value is much higher. This is the challenge, and it's by no means a small undertaking, not even for Ferrari. 

Dr. Marco Gianni, Esq., Luxury Marketing Strategy Specialist

Arrogance Doesn't Pay Off

In the luxury industry, brand storytelling not only plays a fundamental role in the commercial success of products but is an integral component of the brand itself. The absence of a carefully crafted narrative centered around the customer, one that values and celebrates their uniqueness, not only leads to market share loss and missed profits but, in today's context, renders the product nothing short of "defective," inadequate for the times, and indicative of an attitude that can only be described as "arrogant."

The narrative of luxury brands and Gen Z: what changes

If arrogance or even a simple sense of "flat-out superiority" had any validity in the market, they have long lost their relevance, especially when it comes to the demographic classification known as "Gen Z." This generation has unequivocally ushered in a new operational switch favoring what has been brilliantly summarized as "barefoot luxury". This economic model allows for no forms of self-referential ostentation, not even by the most renowned luxury brands globally.

"Gen Z" is perhaps one of the most widely used and abused terms in the industry and beyond. If the frequency of its mention were proportional to the actual study and business analysis conducted in relation to this new "social" class, even before considering it as a market force, the business world would undoubtedly have a greater awareness of the epochal change it is facing. 

The economic impact of Gen Z

Unfortunately, the reality for economic operators does not confirm the equation between the mention of "Gen Z" and a genuine understanding, most likely due to the continued underestimation of its economic impact. Many brands, not yet considering Gen Z as their own customers, fail to grasp or willingly refuse to comprehend the urgent need for adaptation.

This lack of responsiveness puts them at a significant strategic disadvantage compared to those who have rationalized the "systemic" importance of this change. Daniel Langer, one of the leading industry experts, succinctly captures this notion in his latest editorial on the Jing Daily portal:

"Many managers underestimate the purchasing power of this generation, which is the wealthiest ever to enter the luxury market, especially in China. Gen Z expects the largest transfer of wealth ever. Therefore, brands that are not yet ready for this generation will pay a high price in the near future."

La comprensione del potenziale del digitale

Another critical element, particularly in the Italian landscape, is the acquisition of a true awareness of the importance of the "digital" realm. It is still seen, used, and undervalued as a mere "immaterial" extension of physical retail stores when it should possess its own narrative, emotional, and commercial distinctiveness.

This limited view of technology usage, despite its increasingly qualified, immersive, and emotional points of contact encapsulated in the term "ER" (extended reality), will prove particularly detrimental. The Generation Z, who expect to be actively engaged and surprised in every brand interaction, finds the digital touchpoint crucial. It constructs 90% of the brand's perceived value and subsequent purchasing preferences.

Conclusion

Creating value today means, above all, generating content that becomes a true cultural capital benefiting a new segment of customers. These customers are not interested; in fact, they detest self-celebration and self-referential narratives. 

Tradition, history, and technical abilities of a brand become increasingly irrelevant unless they create and then transfer precise and "actionable" values to this fragmented, sophisticated, and multifaceted universe known as Generation Z.

Hamid-Reza Khoyi: "Decarbonisation goal: nuclear is part of the solution"

HAMID-REZA KHOYI NUCLEAR - The climate crisis before, the war in Ukraine after, led us to reflect more on the topic of nuclear power. I’m not talking about it in terms of a weapon of destruction, but as a possible source of energy. The controversies about this possible use are multiple and almost all related to the safety of the installations. The Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters are alive in the memory of many generations still alive. But is it still valid today to use these examples to obstruct the use of nuclear energy as a source of clean energy? Let’s talk about it together.

Global Warming

The Paris agreements have established that every nation - but also individuals - must commit to implementing plans that allow us to keep global warming below 1.5,000 by 2100. Despite this, there is growing fear that temperatures will reach the point of no return between 2023 and 2052. For this reason, efforts have been intensified, also by the UN itself, to find the best solutions to reach the climate objectives of the 2030 Agenda as soon as possible.

The IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN body responsible for evaluating scientific research on climate change, published in 2018 the "Global Warming of 15 ºF C". It is a report based on 6 thousand different studies, from which emerged four possible and feasible scenarios, reported by "Avvocato dell'Atomo".

1- Scenario of efficiency:

"The demand for energy falls thanks to the efficiency of social, technological and business processes by 2050. It remains only to reforest.

2- Scenario of sustainability:

It foresees an increase in the use of sustainable and low-carbon energy, international cooperation; sustainable consumption patterns and the use of Bioenergy with carbon capture & storage (BECCS).


3- Realistic scenario

A middle way: technological and social growth continue at current rates following historical cycles. Emissions are reduced by changing the way energy is produced.


4- Turbo scenario

Intensive global growth. Pollutes at the throttle. How do you reduce emissions? With a massive use of BECCS and CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) technologies.

What do these scenarios have in common? All predict an increase in the use of nuclear energy: from 59% to 106% by 2030; from 98% to 501% by 2050. "


Hamid-Reza Khoyi: "Decarbonisation goal: nuclear is part of the solution"

The "Global Warming of 15," C, not only refers to nuclear energy, but also to renewable energy sources. Yes, because nuclear energy is not the solution to decarbonisation but is part of the solutions. Its use cannot, of course, be exclusive, but shared. In fact, both nuclear and renewable have limits.

Let’s start from renewable

They are coach energy sources and not available all over the planet. For example, hydrological sources are limited and alone are insufficient to meet energy requirements. With regard to biomass, they can lead to the opposite effect: increasing our impact on the environment. If plant operators pay more attention to profit than to the well-being of the environment, they could cause massive deforestation to increase revenues.


The nuclear

Nuclear power can cover 20 to 70% of energy needs. Already this data shows us that alone can not cover the entire demand, even if these numbers are much higher than the renewables taken individually. The old generation of reactors, however, needs a large number of water resources to operate and this makes it unusable and highly dangerous in those areas of seismic and hydrogeological risk.

The combination of renewable and nuclear energy, however, should not arise just to make up for the lack of one or the other. They can also be used together to help one increase the use of the other. For example, it is very difficult to obtain permits for the construction of new dams to be used to create artificial reservoirs to produce water energy. If we had more nuclear power plants, we could use them, for example, to supply existing ones through pumping systems powered by nuclear energy. This would create a green production circle that definitively excludes the use of coal and provides a sufficient amount of energy.

The controversies around nuclear energy

The main objections to nuclear energy mainly concern two aspects: safety and the disposal of waste.

When it comes to security, those who object seem to raise a wall that doesn’t allow them to look any further. And what’s beyond that? The technological growth. We are, in fact, condemning systems that today rely on power plants 50 years ago and do not look at progress and evolution made. We cannot rely on the mistakes of the past. There have been massacres - very true - but they come from mistakes that have allowed us to learn. Technology has made great strides in recent decades. Today’s power plants are much more protected and safe so that, now, the purpose of the studies, focuses on making them smaller, so as to occupy less space on the territory.

Power plants may take up less space in the future, but they need to be given that space so that they can be planted. In Italy, for example, many places have been identified to accommodate a nuclear power plant, but nobody wants to make them available. Why? Everyone is afraid of radioactive waste. I do not have the technical skills to be able to give you all the explanations you need, so I invite you to read this in-depth study of the Italian Nuclear Association, which talks about nuclear waste.

What I can say is that we cannot play the blame game with the preservation of the planet.

Change your mind!

It’s never too late to change your mind. I’ll give you the example of Switzerland. There are four nuclear plants in operation here and it has been decided that they will all be closed by 2025. For the moment only one has been deactivated, but only in 2034 the area of the abandoned plant can be used. For the other 3 we do not know anything yet and it is very likely that it will not come to the total shutdown. The current state of events could in fact lead to the decision - in my opinion more appropriate - to renew the power plants still in operation, which date back to the 1970s.

Of course we cannot say that nuclear power is perfect, but we cannot deny the benefits it can bring and the great strides that have been made. We do not exclude it regardless but let’s welcome it and integrate it with other green energy sources and save our planet.

READ ALSO -> 5 trends for a sustainable business

Motorsport: not only entertainment but research and development

MOTORSPORT RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT - In Formula 1 the Red rises again. It rises from the ashes of an agreement signed with FIA in 2019 of which most of the details are unknown. One yes, however, and it concerns the development and research on E10 fuel that today is partially used to fuel the new era of Formula 1 single-seaters. We are not here to talk about the advantages and disadvantages that the agreement may have led to the Scuderia di Maranello in the design of a machine, who said of his driver Charles Leclerc is a "beast", but how motorsport has always been fertile ground for the study and development of cutting-edge solutions to be brought back in the production of road vehicles that we use every day.

How motorsport contributes to the development of road vehicles

Historically, car and motorcycle racing have always been fertile and economical grounds for field testing new technologies to be installed on series cars. Among the best that have been put under the magnifying glass we find reliability, performance elements essential for a racing vehicle, but also strength of the frame, engine performance and with the increase in sensitivity to green solutions also less polluting electric motors and fuels. Among the manufacturers most active in this regard are Psa (with Ds Automobiles, Peugeot and Citroën), Ford, Hyundai and Toyota, and Ferrari. The latter has been included in this list much more recently than the others and in particular is engaged in the study of electric motors and fuel E10, in collaboration with the partner Shell.

Synthetic fuels, the future of car power

The F1 cars are a new generation and have brought many innovations to the stage. These include E10 fuel, a mixture of 90% fossil fuels and 10% plant-derived bioethanol. The Formula 1 project, however, is to get to 2025 with 100% sustainable fuels. The oil company Shell has thus assumed a fundamental role in the analysis and study of ecological fuels for F1 of the present and the future.

"It is definitely a huge change, but a fundamental step to make Formula 1 more sustainable," says Binotto, Ferrari team principal. "F1 has always been a platform for innovation in terms of performance, reliability and technology, and from now on it can also be a platform for sustainability. Total electrification is not the only solution, we believe that there are other solutions such as, for example, hybridization with fully sustainable fuels".

If full electric is not included for the top car category, it is for other categories, mostly promised by Alejandro Agag.

Motorsport and the development of electric motors

To date there are numerous races with vehicles powered by 100 electric motors: Moto E, Formula E, Extreme. But not only that, 2022 did not have time to start that we already saw a mixed competition. Audi has decided to participate in the Dakar with three totally electric vehicles, never tested before. The cars, one of them driven by the Rally Champion Carlo Sainz, after an initial hesitation, proved to be able to manage very well among the dangers of the desert winning and placing in the top positions in many stages.

The vehicles and the full electric racing cars have allowed today to have cars with rechargeable engines with equal acceleration, if not superior to a combustion engine among the most powerful. In this field, however, there are still many limits to be studied and solved: price, battery maintenance, distribution of charging stations, autonomy, the main ones.

Not only engines and fuels but also tyres

The contribution of motorsport to road car improvements is not limited to the technologies that make them up or to engine power systems, but also to tyres. Single-seater races with open wheels usually have smooth, grooved tyres only in case of rain. Formula E is an exception. Michelin, the sole distributor of tires for this series provides the teams with only grooved tires, just like those from the road. This, however, single-seaters only run on city circuits and in races there is no tire change in case of rain. And it is precisely on the conditions in case of wet asphalt that the studies focus.

Uno degli elementi che viene osservato è la reazione delle gomme con la pioggia, in particolar modo relativamente al fenomeno dell’aquaplaning. Questo è infatti un fenomeno molto pericoloso per gli automobilisti, anche per i più esperti, compresi i piloti da corsa.

Read also ---> The market value of Esports

Defi, discovering Decentralized Finance

DEFI DECENTRALIZED FINANCE - Very often in recent years we hear more and more often about defi, Decentralized Finance. But do we really know what is meant by this term and do we know all the tools it uses? Let’s find out together.

Defi, discovering Decentralized Finance

The defi, decentralized finance, is the set of services that offers a classic bank but in a decentralized way, therefore in the absence of a hierarchy or central control.

At the basis of the defi we find smart contracts, or smart contracts generated by an automated computer program, which automates an action to the occurrence of certain requirements. The goal of smart contract is to make it possible to make all types of transactions, mostly financial. Within the defi can take place an exchange of value, loans and remunerated deposits, data sharing and so on.

Decentralised finance makes it possible to eliminate intermediaries partially (by definition weak) or totally (by definition strong). The former relies on traditional peer-to-peer platforms, while the latter uses Distributed Ledger technologies. Distributed Ledger is a collection of archives that have the same data records, subject to maintenance and control through a complex of computer servers, called nodes.

Dapp, the decentralized applications

The main purpose of decentralized finance is to create dapp (Decentralized Apps or decentralized applications) that target end users, offering financial products accessible to anyone, setting interest rates automatically on the basis of supply and demand. The only tool they need is a wallet containing crypto or tokens. These dapp have common characteristics that make them perfect for this type of products, among which we can remember:

Until now, the majority of Dapp built are located on the Ethereum Blockchain that in 2021 moved a volume of transactions greater than Visa, equal to 11.6 T of transactions against about 1OT of the payment giant.

Examples of application of the definition

Hedera has partnered with Neuron lnnovations, a London-based aviation technology company, to test the safe sharing of airspace by commercial and military drones. The UK has selected these drones that have performed a collection of millions of data points, taking advantage of Hedera’s public register consent service to "collect, store and order". Neuron sensors recorded the location and direction data of the drones, while Hedera’s consent service recorded the data collected by each drone on its decentralized public ledger. The main result that attracted interest is the demonstration of monitoring unmanned vehicles.

Palau

Palau is an island in the Pacific Ocean located about 500 km east of the Philippines, and became independent only in 1994. At present it does not have its own national currency, since it still uses US dollars, of which it was part until 1994 and with which it has maintained excellent relations. In November 2021 they announced the collaboration with Ripple and it is expected that within the first half of the year the national stablecoin will be launched, guaranteed by the government and collateralized in USD. As a result, the interest on the part of the state to exploit the ripple blockchain that allows a reduced power consumption and scalability at low cost.

READ ALSO --> Importance of the DEFI as a disruptive of traditional finance

5 trends for a sustainable business - Hamid-Reza Khoyi

SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS TRENDS - Environmental awareness is on the rise and by 2022 it will be increasingly a focal point. Both consumers and companies will look at you. Hamid-Reza Khoyi summarized in 5 points what will be the trends for the current year.

5 trends for a sustainable business

1. Data

One of the goals that companies will try to pursue for 2022 will be to make their environmental impact measurable. A first step in this direction is to carry out accurate cartoteca or inventory. In this way we can proceed to the verification of the infrastructure, the machinery, the food, the transports of the employees. Once you have made a well-organized list you can proceed to calculate the environmental impact for each item. The process to be implemented is not easy, especially in the start-up phase. To make it easier it is important to start early.

From a practical and economic point of view, in order to start analysing its environmental impact, a company has to bear internal costs, sometimes high, but which, within a reasonable period of time, will bring benefits. Obviously the initial effort will be different from company to company. In order to try to reduce start-up costs, it might be interesting to start from internal surveys, related to, for example, compatible data. Another move not to be underestimated is to think about the building where the company operates.

As an employee, different companies can have different ways, costs and problems in making their environmental impact measurable. But once the process is in place it will be similar to collecting other types of financial data and drawing up a budget. Moreover in the medium-long term this type of approach will bring of the benefits going to reduce also some financial costs. Benefits can also come from communicating and sharing your data with consumers.

2. Finance shall aim at sustainability

Incentives to make your business more sustainable come from all sides. Not least the world of finance. In fact there is more and more the tendency to invest in green realities. This attention stimulates companies, listed on the stock exchange, or with the intention of doing so, to make themselves as sustainable as possible. Not only in the field of green, but also looking at all other aspects of sustainability. To support this, research claims that 53% of the big players in the financial sector say that sustainability will be "central" to their business in the future. These figures should not be underestimated.

3. Coherence

The trend for a more sustainable business cannot fail to be consistent. The phenomenon of Greenwashing is widespread. After two years of pandemic, however, consumers have learned to make better choices and to be very careful about this type of behaviour. It therefore becomes more and more fundamental for a company to be consistent with what it does and what it declares. The messages that the business sends must be in line with its actions. Otherwise they risk that everyone turns against it like a boomerang.

4. Renewable energy suppliers and sources

The fourth trend is perhaps the one that makes others possible. Choosing to rely on sustainable suppliers and sources greatly simplifies things for our business. In fact in the medium and long term it can also help and bring an advantage in reducing costs. Initially it certainly requires a large investment, but in a reasonable time brings benefits and will weigh on the investment capacity of the company.

State and government incentives can be provided to help companies make this transition, but they change from case to case. Obviously, the issue is very different even if you own or do not own the factories in which you work. Being subject to a rent does not allow the same freedom, of course, to be owners.

This choice will also affect consumers, but not necessarily negatively. Surely you may experience an increase in the prices of the final product. But, as mentioned above, buyers are increasingly attentive to sustainability, so the fact of having a product that costs something more because green does not necessarily mean losing market share.

Moreover, in the medium and long term, relying on 100% green choices makes companies more competitive on the market. Both for the sale of its products and for the choice of its employees. In fact, it will attract more qualified people because they are more interested in turning to employers who believe they are choosing a sustainable path. The same applies to businesses that supply goods and products to multinationals, which must prove to be green in order to continue to comply with their collaboration contracts.

5. Transparency towards all

As already widely said, a process of greater awareness of sustainability is underway. This is supported by UN research, in which 70% of people are now more aware of the environment than before the pandemic. Not only 40% want to actively change their habits to live more sustainably. What does this mean for a company? That from now on you will no longer have to look only at the interests of your shareholders, but also at all other stakeholders. This includes investors, employees, suppliers and consumers, for example.

This implies many problems since they are different categories and with needs and interests that do not always match. The only thing they have in common is the need for transparency. So far, the UN is only asking larger companies to make their emissions data available, but that doesn’t mean smaller companies don’t have to. Surely, however, we will arrive at a time when they will also be explicitly asked. We might as well prepare first. Also because it is not a simple process. First you have to make a cultural change. It is a difficult step. But necessary, also because it is not far off a future in which quality brands will arrive that certify the sustainability of a company. Already in recent years there has been growth among the B corp.

READ ALSO -> The emerging economy and one of its leaders - Certified B Corporations

Less taxes, but for all: the liberal revolution in the fiscal manifesto

FISCAL REVOLUTION - For Italy that of fiscal and economic reforms is not only a necessity that can no longer be postponed, it is a great challenge and a knot to be solved for the future of the country. The tax revolution we are proposing should move on the dual public-private track. The public intervenes in major works, while the private enters with its entrepreneurial activities in support of the State and to carry out innovative industrial projects that create jobs and culture and redistribute wealth among citizens.

Tax revolution in Italy

Considering the critical situation in which the country finds itself, urgent measures and exceptional choices become to definitively transform Italy into a modern nation and up to its possibilities. These reforms must not look to the immediate, to the present, but to a future development with an inclusive and productive vision (a slow reform - step by step - but constant over time, that completely changes the roots of the tax system).

The inspiring principle is that of investment, the state that does what the company alone can not do and that promotes innovation: if I attract activity in the territory with short-term tax incentives, in the long term will create an economic induced growth and wealth (not only economic but above all cultural). With such a structured plan foreign companies can also decide to settle in Italy.

Da tempo, troppo tempo ormai, l’Italia è priva di una guida politico-economica forte, che decida e realizzi le grandi riforme che possono mettere in marcia una crescita costante per quella rete infinita di PMI che rappresentano -non scordiamolo mai- la linfa vitale del sistema produttivo italiano.

The trend of other countries

In other Western countries the trend is the opposite: simple bureaucracy, fair taxation, incentives and aid to companies on the national and international market, true friendly tax, the possibility of interacting with any apparatus and level of the State without waiting decades, Clear legislation and immediacy in changing guidelines and rules according to new market situations.

But it is precisely today, when Covid has highlighted our weaknesses, that we must create the conditions to be protagonists and overcome our critical system. Companies are looking for optimal conditions to be able to invest and produce: we need incentives for those who hire, for those who bring new technology and know-how to the territory; we need a different taxation, with lower rates than the ordinary ones, for those who sell on the international market; it serves the possibility to operate also like a holding company of participation for all own branches in the world and therefore also in this case with a different treatment regarding the normal taxation of the dividends received from foreign branches.

E poi ancora: le infrastrutture ed i collegamenti sono fondamentali per la crescita economica di un’area geografica. Dal primo gennaio 2018 c’è una legge in vigore in Italia che riguarda la Zona speciale economica, che interessa tutti i porti del Sud Italia, scritta e realizzata sui modelli delle zone franche di Barcellona, Rotterdam, Suez. Ma nessuno lo sa e la cosa più grave è che nessuno fa niente per portare avanti questi progetti! Una legge fatta e scritta benissimo che però nella realtà non trova applicazione per l’incompetenza e il disinteresse delle parti in gioco.

Less tax burden. So less black, so they pay everyone, so the state collects more

An enlightened State must also simply understand why a company moves its headquarters abroad and then try to recreate in Italy those same conditions -or even better- economic-legal that the company has found abroad.

If then in Italy we really thought about lowering taxes, with a fairer tax scheme, we would help solve the problem of black and evasion and would leave more resources to private consumers to boost consumption: with lower rates, everyone pays and the state collects more!

LESS TAX BURDEN SO LESS BLACK, THEN THEY ALL PAY, THEN THE STATE COLLECTS MORE

Proposals for a tax revolution

These are the proposals for a tax revolution that frees the enterprise and generates wealth:

1) CORPORATION TAX

General tax rate at 15%; creation of the TAX RULING institute and APA, that is, the possibility of dealing with tax rates at the beginning of business for 5/10 years; rates for new business are traded, processed and decided in advance with the tax administration (As a very general example: the first year a corporate tax rate could be 2%, 3% or 4%, and then gradually growing depending on the business and/ or turnover, and/ or profits, losses, investments and market trends, etc.). In any case, research, study, scientific development and new technologies will be further rewarded. No other type of direct or indirect corporation tax will be provided for. Other incentives may be regulated in case of hiring with open-ended contracts.

2) IVA

General rate at 15% (to increase consumption)

3) PERSONAL INCOME TAX

Rate for income from:

4) PROPERTY TAX

Tax on planned assets on a total of assets in ownership (securities, real estate, etc.) of a value equal to or greater than 5,000,000 euros with a rate of 0.5% (excluded from this property tax and therefore from the calculation is the first house in ownership).

5) Incentives for foreign investment by Italian companies

For all Italian companies that invest abroad total tax exemption on income received by the subsidiaries and/ or stable foreign organizations such as: dividends; interest; capital gains; royalties. Foreign investees and permanent establishments shall not be resident in tax havens. Foreign activities must cover the following sectors: industrial production, engineering, design, scientific research and development and export of Made in Italy (excluding all banking, financial and similar activities).

6) ITALIAN HOLDING COMPANY (SPI)

Possibility for foreign investors to set up financial and industrial holding companies in Italy with the following advantages and conditions. The foreign member of the SPI must not be resident in a tax haven; the income of the SPI from activities outside the Italian territory (excluding tax havens) are exempt such as dividends, interest, capital gains, royalties. The income produced by the SPI in Italy will be taxed according to the general internal rules mentioned in point 1 above. A specific rule could also be provided for foreign managers who move to Italy to work for the SPI - so that they have never been first resident in Italy - setting a rate, for example, 15% for 4 years on all the income they received as natural persons both in Italy and abroad.

With regard to the distribution of profits from the SPI to the foreign shareholder, no withholding tax will be provided regardless of the regulatory provisions of the conventions, to avoid double taxation signed. Foreign activities should cover: industrial production, design, engineering, scientific research, export (excluding all banking, financial and similar activities).

7) DEDUCTION OF ALL COSTS

Possibility for any subject to deduct all expenses and costs such as receipts, invoices, tickets etc, (For example, an employee can deduct as an expense the bill of the plumber: if I can deduct I surely ask the bill and the plumber issues it and pays VAT and taxes).

8) LITIGATION - TAX ASSESSMENT

To eliminate all ongoing litigation with the possibility to close it with rates increasing from 5% to 20%, depending on the volume of the amounts contested. A professional register of tax brokers will be established: these professionals will have the function of mediating and resolving conflicts between the tax administration and the taxpayer for all tax disputes up to a maximum value of 1,000,000 euros. RELENTLESS STRUGGLE AND BORDER AGAINST THE GREAT EVADERS (mafias, money laundering) with the prediction of even more severe penalties.

9) CAPITAL GAINS ON STOCK EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS (CAPITAL GAIN)

The general rate on capital gains realised and related to all stock exchange transactions will be 20%.

10) GROSS REMISSION OF FOREIGN CAPITAL

TheDefinitive remission to return Italian capital deposited in foreign encrypted accounts and/ or tax havens, with a rate equal to 15% of the total amount condoned and returned to Italy.

11) OBLIGATION OF TRANSPARENCY OF ITALIAN BANKS AND THEIR FOREIGN SUBSIDIARIES - TAXATION

All Italian banks will have to present the complete and consolidated financial statements of all their foreign subsidiaries, subsidiaries and trustees even if not held directly. In addition, all the names of the Italian holders of current accounts in the above-mentioned subsidiaries and subsidiaries must be specified; including also the current accounts opened indirectly in other foreign banking entities with the collaboration of participation and consultancy of foreign Italian branches, subsidiaries and trustees (with particular regard to tax havens). The general rate on income produced by banks and credit institutions in Italy and abroad will be 30%.

12) ELIMINATION OF SUBSIDIES

Repeal, reset and eliminate any kind of assistance or state subsidy. There is also an implicit need to exponentially increase state aid to all economic operators for post-covid restart.

13) UNIVERSITY

The funds will be allocated to the University with a focus on innovation, development and scientific research. The salaries of all university workers will be adjusted accordingly according to a meritocratic principle. Programmes will be established for foreign professors and researchers on major scientific projects to be developed in Italy (to be linked also to the SPI in point 7) in close connection with the private and business world.

14) PAYMENTS - BANKS

Repeal of all currency restriction rules - legal on payments and cash deposits both in the Bank and in relation to all commercial transactions.

15) ZES

To make finally executive the Law that has created the Economic Special Zones for the ports of the South. These special zones allow you to operate with convenient tax incentives and can attract foreign investment. Ad hoc creation of a scientific committee for the realization of such plan, independent from the various harbour authorities with absolute decisional power.

16) WEB TAX

Deduction as a tax in Italy of 15% on all payments made to large groups of the web by subjects resident in Italy.

17) New rules on OFFENCES relating to income and value added tax

At the same time as the tax reform, all penalties for tax evasion offences must be tightened up and increased.

READ ALSO --> EXPO 2030 ROME: a great opportunity to transform Rome into a modern and entrepreneurial city and no longer a building!

EXPO 2030 ROME: a great opportunity to transform Rome into a modern and entrepreneurial city and no longer a building!

EXPO 2030 ROME - A great challenge awaits us for Rome; that of fiscal and economic reforms is also a great challenge in the great challenge.

The focus of this tax reform is the double track of public and private; the public redevelops the suburbs (schools, transport, green, meeting places, etc.) the private sector enters with its entrepreneurial activities in support of the public but also to carry out innovative industrial projects that create jobs, help culture and redistribute wealth among residents. Localize, therefore, in the suburbs places and spaces for businesses, for start-ups, for technology centers, for university research and for training! We Incentivize, Attract, and Build.

EXPO 2030 ROME

Rome Capital can (or must) ask the central government more autonomy management (then also legislative) to revive the economy of the city.

Considering the critical and tragic situation in which the Capitoline administration finds itself, extraordinary measures and extraordinary reforms are required to transform Rome also and above all into a modern and entrepreneurial city (beginning to eliminate his image Palazzinara that condemns us for decades).

These reforms must look not to tomorrow but to a development of decades to the future with a modern, inclusive and productive vision. EXPO 2030 can be the starting point.

The inspiring principle is that of investment: if I attract activity on the territory with fiscal incentives in the short term, in the long term I create an economic induced growth and wealth (not only economic but above all cultural).

With such a structured plan foreign companies can also decide to settle in Rome.

The management and implementation of these reforms will have to be managed by a technical department (scientific committee) with a large autonomous decision-making power. This would be formed by professionals also able (and therefore with powers ) to streamline all the bureaucracy. For example, a single office for companies that settle in Rome).

Tax proposals to make possible EXPO 2030 Rome

The fiscal proposals for this new resurgence of Rome could be (alternatively or together):

1) To give the possibility to deal with the Tax Office the rates at the beginning of the activity of the enterprises for 5 - 10 years

The rates for new assets are negotiated, processed and decided in advance with the tax administration (as a very general example. The first year a corporate tax rate could be 2% (or 3 or 4 …) and then gradually growing according to the business e-o billed e-o profits, losses, investments and market trends etc etc). In any case, research, study, scientific development and new technologies will be further rewarded.

2) Incentives for foreign investments of Italian companies (which have their registered and operational headquarters in the municipality of Rome)

For all Italian companies that establish themselves in the territories of Roma Capitale and that invest abroad total tax exemption on the income received from the investee e-or stable foreign organizations such as:

Foreign investees and permanent establishments shall not be resident in tax havens. The foreign activities will be: industrial production, engineering, design, research and scientific development and export of Made in Italy (excluding all banking, financial and similar activities).

3) Italian holding company (SPI)

Possibility for foreign investors to set up financial and industrial holding companies in Rome with the following advantages and conditions:

- the foreign member of the PES must not be resident in a tax haven

- SPI’s income from activities outside Italy (excluding tax havens ) is exempted as follows:

Income produced by the SPI in Rome (therefore in Italy ) will be taxed according to the general internal rules mentioned in point 1 above). There could also be a specific rule for foreign managers who move to Italy to work for the SPI - so they have never been resident in Italy before - which sets a fixed rate, for example, 15% for 4 years on all the income they received as natural persons both in Italy (Rome) and abroad).

With regard to the distribution of profits from the SPI to the foreign shareholder, no withholding tax will be provided regardless of the regulatory provisions of the conventions to avoid double taxation signed. The foreign activities will be: industrial production, design, engineering, scientific research and export. (excluding all banking, financial and similar activities)

4) Zes

These special zones allow you to operate with convenient tax incentives and therefore can also attract foreign investment.

The ZES (Special Economic Zone) is in fact a "weapon" in order to be able to entice enterprises to invest in a territory offering fiscal incentives, bureaucratic facilitations and in order to attenuate the cost of the job. To all this must be added the proximity and availability of an efficient and effective infrastructure system located in the immediate vicinity, usually an airport, a port, with railways and roads easily accessible.

In various Countries of the world the ZES are used from years, some have even almost "institutionalized" such instrument, extending it to great part of the national territory.

With Law L.12 August 2017 n.123 is introduced in Italy for all the ports of the South. But once the law has been made little has been done (indeed I would say nothing) to stimulate and stimulate the creation and the birth of these Zones that could attract a lot of national and international investments (apart from the issue of tax savings for businesses we think only the position of Italy in the Mediterranean ). Rome Capital could ask for the extension of this law also to all the peripheral territories and neighborhoods to be redeveloped, serving therefore the various ports and interposing you of the Lazio.

Rome can and must succeed!

Let’s imagine presenting all these projects in 2030: a dream? Maybe but many times dreams become reality just wanting it!

Rome: history, culture, tradition, enterprise, modernity!

READ ALSO --> Risk management: what it is and why to apply it