Since 2021 Giuseppe Stigliano has been CEO of Spring Studios, the Global Creative Platform with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Milan, which employs more than 300 people and which, for 25 years, has supported the world’s main multinationals in the Fashion, Beauty, Luxury, Hospitality and Lifestyle industries.
Stigliano assumed his current position during the delicate pandemic stage and began by working on reorganizing and realigning company’s value proposition.
Under his leadership, the company grew by 20% YoY and aims to reach a turnover of $100M.
He created the necessary prerequisites to open new offices in Europe and the Middle East by 2024.
For the two-year period of 2023 – 2024, the areas of greatest development in supply will concern e-commerce, experience design, brand activations and Web3.
Much attention will also be devoted to the world of AI and CGI in order to automate and increase the efficiency of the production phases in which Spring professionals have less added value.
The main focus of Spring Studios clearly remains strategic positioning and marketing services dedicated to the premium-luxury sector.
One of the most significant projects of these years is certainly the partnership with the English retail giant Marks&Spencer, which, in two years, Spring helped attain and maintain an increase in e-commerce revenue greater than the previously set five-year goal.
The client portfolio boasts multi-year collaborations with partners of the caliber of IMG for New York Fashion Week, The Wall Street Journal for the event The Future of Everything, the Tribeca Festival and Independent Art Fair, the largest independent art fair in the world.
The collaboration with Coty also represents an important milestone, which during Stigliano’s management achieved global scale, with a dedicated creative direction and a decidedly more significant scope of work. In the world of hospitality, the most recent acquisitions include Hilton, Waldorf Astoria and the San Domenico group, with the feather in its cap, Borgo Egnazia.
Can you summarize in a few words what Spring Studios is for you?
Spring is first and foremost a well-known brand with more than 25 years of history. It is also a creative platform that has built an undisputed leadership in marketing and communication services for the premium and luxury sector.
As Global CEO of Spring Studios, what goals have you given yourself, personally and professionally?
I have had the good fortune to inherit a well-oiled machine, with a stable presence in the U.S. and Europe. And I received from the Board a mandate to steer it towards very ambitious horizons, both in terms of growth and geographic expansion. I would like to be able to make a significant contribution by building on my twenty years of experience in the sector, boosting the most innovative business areas (e-commerce, experience design and technological innovation). I would like to grown personally and professionally with Spring.
How do you see Spring Studios in 5 years?
In such a volatile context, it is risky to make predictions. I can, however, say that in the next 5 years the company aspires to double the revenue, open at least two new offices and close important acquisitions. The basic idea is to consolidate the strategic position of “global boutique of marketing services” for the highest segment of the market.
How will the way to market luxury change in the next few years?
Luxury with continue to dance along two lines, scarcity and accessibility. Brands will choose which position to take in light of the nuances of the different markets and how the competitive context will evolve, and also in light of players from the new generation entering the scene and the weight that the omnichannel and virtual component will take on.
Which initiatives is Spring Studios undertaking to make it a trendsetter in the Global Creative Platform segment?
We have created an internal innovation committee to make innovation widespread, and a shadow board led by the company’s youngest talents, in order to allow ourselves to be inspired by digital natives, even for the most strategic decisions. We invest in R&D through our creative labs and open innovation solutions where we work with startups to look for cutting edge solutions for our clients.
Spring Studios is now in New York, London, Milan and Los Angeles; what is the company’s territorial development plan?
We adopt a client-driven and business-centric viewpoint. In other words, we follow the business of current and potential clients and we pursue the opportunities that present themselves in a genuinely opportunity-driven manner. That being said, I can say without delay that we are looking carefully at the Middle East.
What advice would you give young people who dream of emulating a career like yours?
The most important advice is to choose a job that reciprocates your love. Too often I hear people say that young people should follow their passion. I think that is only partly true. If the professional passion you intend to follow does not “reciprocate” your feelings, you must find another and build a satisfying career that, in striving, gives you the right reasons to become passionate. In other words, passion is not necessarily the initial spark, it can also come from more a rational assessment which typically develops at the intersection between what we are good at, what the market recognizes as value and what the world needs.
Was there a “North Star” in your professional path?
I had the honor of having several different mentors at different stages of my career. At this time Philip Kotler, unanimously considered the father of modern marketing, is my reference point. With him, I have already written a bestseller, translated into several languages, and I am working on drafting a new essay which will relate all my thoughts on the world of marketing and communication.
