“Brands aren’t logos or static concepts. They’re value systems.” Mario Natarelli has branded everything. From Fortune 500 companies to entire countries. Regardless of how different the individual clients may be, the frameworks remain the same. Author and brand strategist Natarelli was kind enough to share them with us on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.
About Mario Natarelli
Mario Natarelli is a trusted advisor to executives and their companies looking to leverage their most important asset — their brand. By first being able to uniquely understand a brand’s true challenges and untapped potential, then through deliberate and extensive analysis, he has helped major Fortune 500 companies and even entire countries tangibly transform, align their cultures and deliver unprecedented growth and value.Trained as an architect early in his career, Mario uses the
se fundamentals to balance the art and science of brand building. He understands that a brand’s essence and their cultures emanate from their strategic core outwards. Over the past 17 years he has led teams across three continents, working for clients of varying size and industry focus, mostly in the areas of technology, real estate, travel, sports, and hospitality. Along the way he has developed a proprietary set of frameworks, processes and tools that deliver proven results.
Episode Highlights
Architecture and branding. From building buildings to brand building, Mario’s background in architecture taught him about the art and science of branding. “It’s society forming.”
“Brands aren’t logos or static concepts. They’re value systems.” So how do you do that? Mario shared the three pillars of his brand-building framework — essence (the foundation of who you are), story (how you communicate this), and experience (how you control this across all touchpoints. “They’re all interdependent. It’s like a Russian stacking doll.”
“Great brands start with great culture.” Being a fan of tough questions, I asked Mario if brand can help guide culture or is that too controlling? “That’s the question, isn’t it?” It all comes down to balance. “It’s not something you switch on. It’s something you build slowly over time.”
Branding country. Branding a place is hard enough when it’s a city, region, or state. But what about an entire country? Mario shared his experiences working to brand Dubai. It’s extra challenging as countries aren’t homogeneous. The brand has to work for everyone. This makes it a big test of one of the hardest requirements for all brands — building something that’s flexible enough to be used by everyone but still cohesive enough to stand for something big.
What brand has made Mario smile recently? “Netflix for a couple reasons. They are the ultimate brand for (1) indulgence, (2) ritual, and (3) enhancement.” An insightful answer to a very basic question!
To learn more, follow Mario on Twitter, check out the Emblem website, and learn more about their book.

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