Inter Milan

Passion for me is coloured in blue and black, in nerazzurro.

It’s a mix of memories. Seeing my grandfather semi-swearing in front of black & white tv, my father recalling the glorious days of the Grande Inter.

Of sharing of emotions. Those of sadness during the ‘90s because of dominance by the ever reviled cugini, and with retrospective because of the calciopoli. During that maledetto 05 May 2002 when we lost one game, others won another and it so happened that we had the scudetto at hand for nearly a whole year and lost it on the last day.

Of the great pleasure. Of seeing your team winning everything there is to win and more. Of seeing your team endure the greatest blitz in football history at the Camp Nou.

Of tradition, with a history spanning more than a century and never seeing your team playing in Serie B as this never happened, the pleasure of seeing the best talent in the world, playing for your team.

Of great location. It’s because of that great temple San Siro and all the devoted who every Sunday or so, as if because for a religious obligation, gather to chant, swear and pray together whether at the temple itself or from far away all looking at the same direction as if finding their Jerusalem or Qilbah in that green field.

Of great mottos. ‘Mai in B’ (never in B) and ‘Nerazzurro si Nasce’ (you’re born blueblack)

It’s because of the values, the rebellious spirit who found it outrageous that in order to play in a team one has to be of a particular nationality. So we were reborn as the antimatter of the previous team blue instead of red. Football is international, internazionale and they were the prophets for the beautiful game which today is enjoyed by Russian oligarch spending billions of oil money to Sub-Saharan boys shooting paper balls through tyre wheels.

In short its because of the colours, of those blue and black stripes.

Vodafone

I can say that i am passionately in love with the Vodafone Brand and it gives me pleasure  and pride to be its ambassador and feel lucky that i, have the opportunity to locally promote it.

Why the controversy?....The Vodafone Brand has grown on me over the last 10years that i have been here and it gives me pride, of how such a young company has grown, in such a short time to get global recognition, by providing excellent service to its customers worldwide.  This is also because I have over the years inherited and picked up the passion from my colleagues and friends, both locally and abroad, who like me sacrifice a lot, in their determination, drive and passion to promote Vodafone.  A brand which truly puts its customers’ requirements as a priority...power to you!

I can also say that this passion is reflected and passed on, to all the suppliers that work with us and like us, they eventually start to embrace the brand to become our partners.

MINI

MINI is one of my passion brands. It has not been for long but has become since I got my MINI. Getting the car myself, choosing the specific model with specific extras…and bringing it down from the UK makes the MINI really MY car. I am not a car enthusiast but 1.5 years later I still sit in it and not take it for granted. It is not like any other machine which you ignore and simply use for functionality.

One a more generic level, I think that the MINI identity is visible in anything MINI does, even the new models which are totally NOT MINI. I sat down in the new Countryman, a 4X4 not a MINI…it still had the same feel, the same features…so much so I knew the car, the functionality, etc.

MINI is also consistent. I bought my MINI from an authorized reseller and got the MINI 1-year guarantee, MINI treatment, MINI branded items and MINI service (eg. Insurance in all countries when coming down with the car). The newsletters I regularly get from the reseller are totally MINI branded and the same for any reseller. Same holds for the website.

Starbucks

If I had to choose one particular brand I’m a fan of it would most definitely be Starbucks.

When I lived abroad Starbucks where one of the few coffee shops available where the set up reminded me of coffee shops back home and spending time there made me feel closer to my family and friends. Also, the fact that I could find the brand wherever I went whilst abroad was a plus. Another factor that made me a fan of Starbucks was the different variety of coffee they provided. Locally the choice of syrups or iced coffee hadn’t yet been introduced in the market and the ‘innovation’ (or more likely the variety) had me hooked.

W hotels

I like this brand because of the service experience I have consistently received when I stay there.  I've stayed in several of their hotels in a few cities.  They are fresh, stylish, and have a luxury feel.  From the décor of the rooms, to the dress of the staff, every detail is aligned to their brand promise of trendy and customer oriented.  The bars in the hotels offer great drinks, with live DJs.  The pools have   The use of the "W" in all of the brand elements is really clear.  Room service / concierge is called "Whatever / Whenever."  Mats in elevators say "Welcome, Good morning / afternoon/evening/night" (and are changed out depending on the time of day.  Pools are called "Wet."  Lights in hallways are labelled "Wink."  They have really worked the W brand into as many elements of the hotel as possible.

An anecdote would be when I stayed in the W in Atlanta.  I went to the concierge and asked for the best way to get to a specific shopping mall.  Rather than simply suggest a cab or bus line, the concierge offered to organise their Acura experience for me.  This is a service they offer customers where they have an Acura SUV driven by hotel staff to take guests around the city - for free.  It was that extra level of service which differentiates W from a Hilton, Hyatt, or Marriott.  This is on top of a stylish room, very comfortable bed, great bathroom, etc.

MUJI

The beginning
I discovered MUJI in 2000 when settling down in London and looking for well designed storage for CDs, photos etc.   Already, MUJI had opened many stores in central london with a particular atmosphere: clean design, brown / white / grey coloured or transparent items.  All the shapes are very simple You could sense a bit of Japan

I got myself a couple of storage boxes and soon after muji invaded my bathroom with all sorts of small items that where handy for frequent travellers.

The Muji distinctive logo soon  became part of the London street scenery.  I would occasionally drop by on the weekend during a casual stroll or afternoon shopping.  It was the ideal place to find a little gift, another element of decoration for the flat.  And to be honest, what where my other options ? Habitat couldn't match the muji prices and IKEA just didn't have much of a character...

The pens
My favorite items are definitely the pens. Not only are they straight forward, good quality pens, it's the colours and the tip size that make all the difference and bring character to the item.
Suddenly choosing the colour of your pen becomes a personality shout: pink, purple, dark blue, green...  get rid of the stereotyped branded office pens

Muji around the world
I've had the opportunity to discover muji around the world.
At the paris opening it was great to see the same shop layout and items and feel in a comfortable well known environment
When the first shop opened in Dusseldorf, it was also an event: a clear design departure from the rather up market chic boutique carving its own distinctive niche
When visiting Japan, I was in for a surprise to discover that Muji is actually a very cheap brand and is positioned very differently than in Europe.  Still now, the facebook descriptions could not be more different:

Muji Japan facebook page: "Lower priced for a reason."
This phrase encapsulates how we can provide our Muji products at lower prices. We launched our Muji brand by designing and developing products that might almost be regarded as substandard if based on traditional criteria, although they are, of course, actually of good quality.

Muji Ireland facebook page: Muji products came into being in the early 1980’s as a result of a new mood, calling for a return to simplicity in daily life. Our aim was - and still is - to provide our customers all over the world with the fundamental things they need to live a busy, modern, urban lifestyle.


Innovation
In my mind, Muji has managed to associate itself with innovation through a couple of simple products they have brought to market and highlighted in their shops:
The CD & Speaker Phones:  instead of having expensive hifi and heavy items to carry around, muji launched two tech products with a revolutionary twist: cardboard speakers and a fan-like CD player

Muji then ventured into a suite of wodden toys that represented major cities... a mix between decoration objects, toys and simple gift ideas.  It gives their outlets a relaxed and fun place to go, you can fiddel around with a couple of objects whilst waiting in the queue or as you wait for your partner to shop ...

That special moment you remember
I bought a very simple coffee table in germany and had it delivered to my place.  When I opened the box, it actually contained 2 tables stored one against each other.  Having only paid for one table, I brought it back to the shop the week later...  the shop manager told me that they had already done their stock take of the month and that the extra table was put as a loss anyway, so I could keep it since it was their mistake...   not what i was expecting