Milan, 18 November 2025 – The fifth edition of the Best Brands Club, the exclusive think tank uniting Italy’s most influential brands to analyse current challenges and shape future strategies, concluded last week. Promoted by Serviceplan Group, NielsenIQ, Rai Pubblicità and 24ORE System, with the patronage of UPA, the latest meeting took place at Serviceplan Group’s House of Communication.

This year’s edition featured 14 Best Brands: Amazon, Banca Mediolanum, Cif, Kinder, Iliad, Intimissimi, Lavazza, Lego, MediaWorld, Mulino Bianco, Nutella, Samsung, Unieuro, and Unipol. Moderated by journalist Giampaolo Colletti, the debate was lively and insightful, enriched by the contributions of guest speakers — Carlo Botto Poala, Marketing Director at BMW Italia, and Vittorio Bucci, CEO of Mediaplus Italia — and driven forward by the managers of Italy’s leading brands, as highlighted in the Best Brands research.

In a global context defined by what The Economist calls “the era of predictable unpredictability,” the roundtable examined the profound change in consumer expectations. It emerged that people, increasingly disoriented and overloaded, are searching not only for efficient products or brands with a noble purpose, but for true allies in their everyday wellbeing.

The discussion revolved around a central theme: shifting from doing well to making people feel well. The think tank explored what it means, today, for a brand to contribute to people’s positivity and how it is possible to combine high performance with wellbeing, avoiding the pitfalls of “feel good” rhetoric. Among the key questions raised: What can a brand do to spark genuine joy and create memorable experiences? And in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms and artificial intelligence, how can a brand maintain a human and authentic presence, becoming a genuine point of reference and support?

The reflection treated “joy” not as an abstract concept, but as a new strategic territory. The participants discussed how internal wellbeing within companies can translate into perceived value externally and how kindness can become a true asset in a brand’s tone of voice.

All the insights and analyses from this edition will be compiled in the fifth Best Brands Book, designed to serve as a compass for navigating the complexity of today, outlining a new approach in which successful brands become drivers of wellbeing, positivity, and perhaps even a touch of joy. The Club’s cultural journey will conclude with the public presentation of the volume on 26 May 2026, at an event open to professionals, students, and industry innovators. On this occasion, the meeting — again moderated and curated by Giampaolo Colletti — will offer deeper exploration of the diverse perspectives discussed. The fifth Best Brands Book will also become an official teaching resource for the UPA Master’s programme, further affirming its educational value for future generations.

Best Brands Club thus reconfirms itself as a unique laboratory of ideas, where leading brands from different sectors not only celebrate success, but also bravely question the future of their own role in society.

The Best Brands Club was founded as a space for discussion and analysis developed from the Best Brands research, which measures brand strength in the Italian market, launched by NielsenIQ and Serviceplan Group, sponsored in Italy by UPA, and supported by partners Rai Pubblicità, 24 ORE System, IGPDecaux, ADC Group and Community. The Club forms part of a broader research project whose methodology offers an accurate snapshot of Italy’s brand market, comparing economic performance with the opinions of a representative sample, ensuring the objectivity of final results and bringing together both qualitative and quantitative elements. Joining the Top 10 of Best Brands means being counted among the leaders of the Italian market, a coveted achievement that attests to the strength of a vision and the effectiveness of a winning strategy. The insights generated by the Club’s proceedings will be included in the fifth Book, which aims to serve as an invaluable guide for marketing professionals, managers, and academics interested in the evolution of brands and their role in both the economy and society.