Domain expansion: How brands like Bugatti, Bulgari and Veuve Clicquot are growing beyond their categories

The best brands in the world are able to transcend their category. More than just having a great product, these brands become the definition of what makes it great.

This phenomenon is only possible because what constitutes this greatness is a set of values, and most of these values are not limited to a product or market. For this reason, loyal clients believe that this brand will not only have this quality for their specific products, but will maintain this level of excellence in anything they decide to create.

This is a very powerful tool that can be used towards different directions.

One of them is seen in the real estate market, mainly with Binghatti . Their latest projects in partnership with great automotive and jewelry brands like Jacob & Co , Mercedes-Benz AG and BUGATTI expand their excellence towards incredible buildings, inheriting their design, their name and their reputation. This not only increases desire through the trust people already have in these brands, but also through the very desirability they have for these iconic brands and the status value they bring.

A second perspective is the enhancement of the brand experience, which is what Bvlgari was able to create with their resorts in Bali and Dubai. These places carry the brand's personality and design elements, infused with the richness of the hospitality treatment that's only possible in this kind of experience. Their clients will then inlay these rich experiences to their image of the brand, adding more depth to the brand's personality and atmosphere.

Another interesting example of this extension is Veuve Clicquot 's #ClicquotInTheSnow campaign at The Little Nell , in Aspen. The brand manages to attach itself to their clients's beautiful, enthusiastic memories while offering a great experience with their champagne. Veuve Clicquot's image is strongly related to the moments where their product is consumed, so enhancing these moments while increasing your presence in them is a masterful way of becoming significantly more important to these customers.

After establishing their brands and the values they stand by, these comapnies can step outside their domains, most of the time (but not necessarily) through parternships, to deepen their roots and expand their universe, along with their meaning. It all starts with a well-established positioning strategy: If you don't have clear values, not only internally, but mainly externally, making such a move will make the brand seem lost, trying to make profit at any costs. A great branding strategy allows the brand to represent more than its product.

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