Beyond horsepower: Ferrari’s lesson on brand coherence
“Being consistent is crucial to make a brand stronger and stronger.”
Benedetto Vigna, CEO, Ferrari
When you run a company where every decision echoes across decades because it carries with it the weight of 75 years of heritage, a special type of wisdom emerges.
That happens to Benedetto Vigna, CEO at Ferrari: “If you want to grow a brand and you want to have a resilient and sustainable company, you need to understand that nurturing the brand and guarding the brand is a marathon. It’s not a sprint”.
Since he stepped into the executive leadership of the historic Italian brand in 2021, Vigna’s obsession has been to make Ferrari’s brand the greatest competitive moat of the business.
Easy to say, harder to build. The first step: brand coherence.
That happens to Benedetto Vigna, CEO at Ferrari: “If you want to grow a brand and you want to have a resilient and sustainable company, you need to understand that nurturing the brand and guarding the brand is a marathon. It’s not a sprint”.
Since he stepped into the executive leadership of the historic Italian brand in 2021, Vigna’s obsession has been to make Ferrari’s brand the greatest competitive moat of the business.
Easy to say, harder to build. The first step: brand coherence.
“In Ferrari, we believe in stability, which doesn’t mean that we don’t innovate. You can be stable in innovating, but you must avoid the big sudden spikes, and you have to be consistent and continuous in your progress.”
In 2022, Ferrari distanced itself from mainstream positions in the automotive industry, claiming that “we will make cars of any type, and the client will select”. At the same time, they committed to a decarbonization strategy not because it was trendy, but because it aligned with the brand’s responsibility to the next generation: “Being consistent is crucial to make a brand stronger and stronger.”
Results endorse the strategic approach. Ferrari is one of the top growing brands since 2024: 40% brand value growth according to Interbrand’s Best Global Brands. In the first half of 2026, it is valued at over $15 billion. This outstanding performance didn’t happen by accident, but because decision-making in the business is driven by long-term brand equity maximization and an inexorably consistent experience:
“A company is like a nut. You have the core values (the inner part), the brand (the nutshell), and the interface between the two, which are the people in the company. Their continuous work is to make that shell stronger and thicker. Because over time, the thickness of the brand can decrease if you don’t work well.”
In 2022, Ferrari distanced itself from mainstream positions in the automotive industry, claiming that “we will make cars of any type, and the client will select”. At the same time, they committed to a decarbonization strategy not because it was trendy, but because it aligned with the brand’s responsibility to the next generation: “Being consistent is crucial to make a brand stronger and stronger.”
Results endorse the strategic approach. Ferrari is one of the top growing brands since 2024: 40% brand value growth according to Interbrand’s Best Global Brands. In the first half of 2026, it is valued at over $15 billion. This outstanding performance didn’t happen by accident, but because decision-making in the business is driven by long-term brand equity maximization and an inexorably consistent experience:
“A company is like a nut. You have the core values (the inner part), the brand (the nutshell), and the interface between the two, which are the people in the company. Their continuous work is to make that shell stronger and thicker. Because over time, the thickness of the brand can decrease if you don’t work well.”
That shell, the Ferrari brand, has been intentionally and continuously reinforced from multiple perspectives: through a brand architecture optimization that leverages Ferrari’s core equity, competition and pride; through a clear strategic narrative, ‘Made in Ferrari’; and subsequently through expressive coherence. The brand now has a custom designed typeface inspired by Italy’s legendary foundry Nebiolo. It might seem superficial, but it speaks of something more profound: every detail, every code, every signal must honor the whole.
Beyond the brand expression, Ferrari also undertook a serious systematization of product licensing protocols in order to build a defense mechanism ensuring tha brand could stretch without being diluted.
This fierce defense of what Ferrari is has enabled the brand to exceed the universe of automotive and become an icon of Italian lifestyle.
“In Ferrari, I can clearly see the passion, the sense of belonging, the strive for continuous excellence, and an extreme, I would say almost paranoid, attention to quality. These are the basic drivers of what we do, no matter if it is racing, sports cars, or lifestyle.”
Beyond the brand expression, Ferrari also undertook a serious systematization of product licensing protocols in order to build a defense mechanism ensuring tha brand could stretch without being diluted.
This fierce defense of what Ferrari is has enabled the brand to exceed the universe of automotive and become an icon of Italian lifestyle.
“In Ferrari, I can clearly see the passion, the sense of belonging, the strive for continuous excellence, and an extreme, I would say almost paranoid, attention to quality. These are the basic drivers of what we do, no matter if it is racing, sports cars, or lifestyle.”
The lesson is overwhelmingly simple. When asked about the brand’s greatest opportunity, the answer is: to just be Ferrari. Nothing more and nothing less than to remain true to the core so the core itself becomes expansive.
Museums can live on the past; brands cannot, and Ferrari proves that the deepest heritage is the strongest foundation when it’s lived, not just displayed.
And what about AI? “It’s a tool. But you cannot give a ‘soul’ to an algorithm. The soul comes from the people, the heritage, and the emotion of driving. I believe more in HI: Human Intelligence.”
Museums can live on the past; brands cannot, and Ferrari proves that the deepest heritage is the strongest foundation when it’s lived, not just displayed.
And what about AI? “It’s a tool. But you cannot give a ‘soul’ to an algorithm. The soul comes from the people, the heritage, and the emotion of driving. I believe more in HI: Human Intelligence.”
Because, even in an age obsessed with speed, scale, and automation, brand coherence is a fundamentally human act: it demands conviction, taste, and the courage to say no.
Ferrari’s story is a masterclass in how brand coherence (the bold alignment between saying and doing) becomes the ultimate competitive advantage. That coherence doesn’t limit the brand: it ensures that, decade after decade, Ferrari remains not just relevant, but iconic.
Ferrari’s story is a masterclass in how brand coherence (the bold alignment between saying and doing) becomes the ultimate competitive advantage. That coherence doesn’t limit the brand: it ensures that, decade after decade, Ferrari remains not just relevant, but iconic.
