André: WOW! brand: Moleskine

André is a Marketing Professional from the lake Geneva area.

Manuel: So Andre, tell me a bit about WOW brands.

André: Well, I did quite a bit of reflection since you asked me for the interview. I have to say, for me a WOW brand defines a segment. It is he the reference and sets the bar.

M: So which brand do you have in mind?

A: I brand I love is Moleskine. It has a fantastic product story referring to its heritage - a timeless legend. Apparently many artists have used it in the past, that what they tell you.  I have an emotional link to my book as it contains my personal notes.

M: Why do you think that a Moleskine book is better than any basic notebook or a piece of paper?

A: I like the way it is structured. There are lots of different shapes and forms (Travel books, pocket books, city guides etc).  It helps me to structure my thinking and my note taking. I like to think of it as good wine cellar, where the notes represent the wine and the book the cellar. It adds value to my notes, using it gives me a good feeling.

M: What else?

A: The way the book is made with its hard covers makes it quite sturdy. It endures the test of time and it makes you keep it once its full. It accompanies you and lets you return to your past notes. Is like a history book of your life. In this digital age where we have plenty of technical devices to take notes, pictures, video, sound etc, taking handwritten notes in a book is much better as it is here to stay. You can always go back. It gives you all the freedom of expression it’s the real sheet of white paper approach. 

M: How did you discover Moleskine?

A: Through family, my wife is using one for years and my brother who is an artist always carries a pocket size one with him and constantly takes notes in it. Initially I felt a bit distant from the brand as I did not consider myself as an artist so I though it was not for me. I then started to use one and I have to say I was immediately hooked. That is another aspect of a WOW brand. It creates loyalty - you do not want to change anymore once you are hooked I did not even consider alternative brands or products anymore even if they offered superior products. Apple is a lot like this as well. 

M: Where do you get your books from?

A: They are mostly sold through bookstores and in the past they were quiet hard to find which of course matches the brands image and positioning quiet well. In the meantime they have enlarged distribution. I have no clue who is behind Moleskine but there are clearly lot of efforts put behind the brand these days. It’s become quiet popular and lots of people are using it. 

M: Thanks André!


Again I went on a bit of a tour and  found quiet some amazing user generated content  showing how much those booklets mean to people. Here's an example: