13 thinkers, books, and ideas connected to this field.
American multinational beverage corporation that created the world's most recognized brand — built around a secret formula and a marketing apparatus that made Coke not just a drink but a cultural symbol — and which is Warren Buffett's most famous holding.
British advertising executive who founded Ogilvy & Mather and became the most influential figure in 20th-century advertising — whose Confessions of an Advertising Man remains the best book on professional excellence in any service business.
Belgian-American fashion designer who created the wrap dress in 1974 and built one of the most enduring personal brands in fashion over five decades.
Austrian entrepreneur who co-founded Red Bull in 1987, building it into the world's leading energy drink brand through an unprecedented integration of extreme sports, content production, and Formula 1 team ownership.
Italian racing driver and entrepreneur who founded the Ferrari brand and Scuderia Ferrari, building the most emotionally resonant racing team in history and the most valuable automotive brand in the world.
American entrepreneur who co-founded Estée Lauder Companies — starting by selling her uncle's skin cream formulas — and built one of the world's largest beauty companies through personal demonstration, department store placement, and the gift-with-purchase innovation.
Austrian automotive engineer and son of Ferdinand Porsche who designed the Porsche 356 — the first car to bear the Porsche name — while his father was imprisoned post-WWII, founding Porsche AG as a sports car manufacturer rather than just an engineering consultancy.
American rapper and entrepreneur who built one of the most successful artist-business empires in history — from Reasonable Doubt through 13+ studio albums — while simultaneously building Roc-A-Fella Records, Rocawear clothing, Armand de Brignac champagne, Tidal, and the Roc Nation sports and entertainment agency.
Italian confectionery entrepreneur who took his father's candy shop and built Ferrero into one of the world's largest confectionery companies — inventing Nutella, Tic Tac, Kinder, and Ferrero Rocher — while maintaining one of the most secretive private family businesses in global capitalism.
American entrepreneur who co-founded Def Jam Records with Rick Rubin — building the most important hip-hop label of the 1980s — and later expanded into Phat Farm clothing, Rush Communications, and other ventures, making him the prototype of the hip-hop entrepreneur.
British-American entrepreneur who co-founded Jimmy Choo — the luxury shoe brand — and built it from a small London shop into a global luxury brand before selling her stake in a contentious exit, then founding her own brand Tamara Mellon.
Herbert Lottman's business biography of the Michelin brothers and the company they built — covering how Andre and Edouard transformed a small rubber goods manufacturer into a global tire empire through relentless innovation and the brilliant marketing invention of the Michelin Guide.
American footwear and apparel company founded in 1952 — known primarily for its yellow boot — which built a durable outdoor lifestyle brand through quality construction and became an unexpected cultural icon in hip-hop culture in the 1990s.