Go BackMarketing and the art of stealing
WHAT DO STEVE JOBS, THE BEATLES, TARANTINO, AND PICASSO HAVE IN COMMON?
Table of Contents
- WHAT DO STEVE JOBS, THE BEATLES, TARANTINO, AND PICASSO HAVE IN COMMON?
- 3 REASONS WHY GREAT MARKETERS KNOW HOW TO STEAL
- Steal to Spark Innovation
- Steal to Improve What’s Already Out There
- Steal to Say It Differently
- WHEN STEALING HELPS YOU EXPAND INTO NEW MARKETS
- THE WINNING INSIGHT: THE POWER BEHIND EVERY GREAT CAMPAIGN
- YoPRO / HiPRO: FROM BRAZIL TO THE WORLD, ONE TRIBE AT A TIME
- About The Authors
They were all brilliant thieves.
In the late 1970s, a young Steve Jobs walked into Xerox PARC and saw something that would change everything: the graphical user interface. Xerox had no clue what to do with it. Jobs did. He borrowed the idea, added Apple’s magic, and built the foundation for the Macintosh. Later, he’d admit it outright: “We have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
The Beatles? Same story. Often hailed as musical pioneers, they were actually world-class borrowers—absorbing American blues, Indian sitar, and European classical, then blending them into something utterly new. As George Harrison put it: “We weren’t inventors. We were synthesizers.”
Quentin Tarantino? He steals from everything—kung fu, spaghetti Westerns, anime—and somehow, it’s still unmistakably Tarantino. “I steal from every movie ever made,” he once confessed.
And Picasso? Over dinner one night, someone asked him if he ever copied other artists. He smirked and said, “Good artists copy, great artists steal. I steal from everywhere—but I make it mine.”
That last quote might as well be the secret mantra of great marketers.
Because if there’s one skill that separates good from great in our field, it’s this: the ability to observe, absorb, and remix. To steal like an artist—not just from your category, but from everywhere. To stay curious and to be a sponge – Great marketers know how to steal!
3 REASONS WHY GREAT MARKETERS KNOW HOW TO STEAL
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Steal to Spark Innovation
When we talk about innovation, we often imagine brand-new ideas or revolutionary inventions. But in reality, some of the most successful innovation strategies come from borrowing proven ideas, especially from outside your industry.
Innovation doesn’t always start from scratch. In fact, great marketers know how to steal the right ideas from other industries—and turn them into powerful solutions.
If you think about it, innovation often comes when you need to solve a new problem, thus, it is all about asking the right question: “Who’s already solved a version of this problem, and how can we adapt it?”
Take Adidas, for example. To improve traction in their sneakers, they didn’t just look at the footwear industry. Instead, they drew inspiration from Goodyear tire technology. By applying the same tread logic used to keep cars on the road, Adidas created a high-performance shoe with both athletic and streetwear appeal. This is a great example of cross-industry innovation.
Or look at Nespresso. Their business model—sell the coffee machine at a low price, then profit from capsules—was adapted directly from Gillette’s razor-and-blade strategy. But they didn’t stop there. Nespresso elevated the experience with luxury design, boutique-style packaging, and a subscription-based model, positioning itself as a premium lifestyle brand.
Then there’s Dyson. The Airblade hand dryer wasn’t inspired by bathrooms—it was inspired by aerospace engineering. By repurposing jet engine technology, Dyson built one of the fastest and most efficient hand dryers on the market.
These companies didn’t innovate by reinventing the wheel. They looked beyond their category, borrowed boldly, and reimagined solutions in a way that felt fresh and relevant.
If you want to drive innovation, don’t just search for answers—search for better questions. That’s where the breakthrough begins.
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Steal to Improve What’s Already Out There
Let’s be honest: in business, it’s rarely about having the most original idea. It’s about how well you execute. Execution beats originality—every single time. Some of the most iconic brands today didn’t invent anything new. They just took existing ideas and made them faster, smarter, and more scalable.
Take Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg didn’t invent the online profile. Platforms like Friendster and MySpace were already out there. But Facebook nailed the execution: exclusivity (Harvard-only at first), real-name identity, and a clean, addictive user experience. He didn’t go first—he went deeper, and better.
Or look at McDonald’s. Burgers and fries were already an American staple. What Ray Kroc brought wasn’t a menu—it was a system. Consistency. Speed. Franchising. Real estate. He turned a diner into a global machine.
Google wasn’t the first search engine. Yahoo, AltaVista, and Ask Jeeves all came before. But Google refined the experience: PageRank made results smarter, the UI was cleaner, and the speed was unmatched. They didn’t invent search—they perfected it.
Then there’s Amazon. eBay may have been the king of early e-commerce, but Amazon focused on customer obsession: frictionless buying, verified reviews, fast delivery, and razor-sharp logistics. The result? A category leader that changed how the world shops.
The same goes for YouTube, Spotify, Uber, TikTok. They did not invent anything new: they just made it better. You don’t have to start first—you just have to finish better.
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Steal to Say It Differently
In today’s crowded market, great products often aren’t enough. What separates breakthrough brands is not just what they say, but how they say it.
The most successful marketers understand that innovation in communication is just as powerful as product innovation. And yes, you can steal that too.
Some brands win by borrowing tone and attitude. Look at Liquid Death. It’s just water—nothing revolutionary. But the brand speaks like a metal band. With tattoo-style graphics and an unapologetically aggressive tone inspired by energy drinks and hardcore music, Liquid Death made hydration cool. They didn’t reinvent the category—they reinvented how it sounded.
Other brands win by stealing formats and rituals from unexpected places.
Take Pizza Hut. In a recent bold campaign transformed pizza boxes were transformed into printed CVs to help job seekers stand out during the “September Surge” hiring season. By borrowing a tool from HR, a ritual from job-seeking culture, and the joy of office pizza, they created a physical format no recruiter could ignore.
Some steal from “how people express emotions online”.
That’s what IKEA did with its brilliant “Retail Therapy” campaign. Instead of using standard product names, they renamed items using real Google search queries like “My partner snores” or “My child is afraid of the dark.” It was a genius move—hijacking the language of search to make their catalog more relatable, more human, and more helpful.
WHEN STEALING HELPS YOU EXPAND INTO NEW MARKETS
In corporate life, there’s a common trap: teams fall in love with their own ideas and ignore what’s already working elsewhere. But when it comes to international expansion, the smartest move isn’t always to start from scratch.
Sometimes, the best strategy is to look across borders, see what’s thriving, and adapt it.
Why reinvent the wheel—or try to build the next iPhone killer—when you could remix a proven success from another market?
Because let’s be honest: creating something entirely new is expensive. And don’t forget—you’ll need a budget not just to produce it, but also to scale it (investing in communication). As the saying goes, “Don’t buy the donkey if you don’t have money for the rope.”
Looking at what works in other geographies can unlock faster and leaner growth. Often, the next big thing already exists somewhere else—you just need to translate it for your audience.
After all, some of the world’s most successful global brands were born this way:
- Red Bull began as a Thai energy drink called Krating Daeng. Dietrich Mateschitz saw its potential, adapted the formula, rebranded it for Western audiences, and launched a completely new category.
- Starbucks was inspired by Italian espresso bars. Howard Schultz didn’t invent coffee—he borrowed the culture of it from Milan, then built a global brand around personalization, comfort, and “the third place” between home and work.
At Danone, we say: steal with pride.
Every time our local teams share success stories across countries, it’s an opportunity to spread ideas, replicate winning models, and scale them in new markets with just the right local twist. In other words, we encourage teams to steal with pride from each other. And no, it’s never just copy-paste. It’s about finding the local insight that makes it click.
THE WINNING INSIGHT: THE POWER BEHIND EVERY GREAT CAMPAIGN
Spotting a brand that works somewhere else is only the beginning. The real magic happens when you ask: “Why is it working? What’s the human insight behind it—the insight that makes people feel seen, understood, or challenged? That’s what turns a good idea into a great campaign.
A true insight is like hearing a thought you’ve had a hundred times, but never said out loud. When a campaign nails that, the reaction is instant: “That’s so true. I thought I was the only one.” That’s when your brand stops being a product and becomes part of someone’s identity.
These insights can be universal or local. The first case is one of the campaigns from Dove, “You are more beautiful than you think”, that tapped into a near-universal truth: most women are their own worst critics. The campaign didn’t need to be drastically adapted because that inner insecurity exists across cultures, and the message resonated globally.
Ariel India, instead, is an example of local truth: in Western markets, Ariel is often positioned around stain removal or timesaving. But in India, the brand uncovered a deeper truth: household chores are not equally shared between men and women. The insight—why is laundry only a woman’s job?—led to the award-winning “Share the Load” campaign, turning detergent into a cultural conversation.
YoPRO / HiPRO: FROM BRAZIL TO THE WORLD, ONE TRIBE AT A TIME
The story of YoPRO (known as HiPRO in Italy) is a textbook case of how consumer insight and strategic brand positioning can drive global success.
The Brazilian team spotted a clear gap in Danone’s product portfolio: no brand was serving the fast-growing world of functional fitness and bodyweight training. The team saw more than a business opportunity—they identified a human truth: a new generation of athletes was emerging. These were everyday people who viewed fitness not just as a goal, but as a lifestyle grounded in discipline, purpose, and self-respect.
With limited resources but a sharp vision, the team launched YoPRO in Brazil—a high-protein yogurt brand designed for real athletes who wanted clean labels, functional nutrition, and zero fluff. The results were immediate. The brand resonated with calisthenics enthusiasts and fitness communities, proving that YoPRO wasn’t just a product—it was a mindset.
The success quickly caught the attention of other markets. Local teams in Spain, France, and Italy began identifying their own tribes—cultural niches where the product could connect not just functionally, but emotionally.
In Italy, the marketing team led by Jordi Guitart, the team zeroed in on CrossFitters—a tribe whose values aligned perfectly with HiPRO (that is how it is called in Italy): mental resilience, natural training, and community spirit. But the real breakthrough came when the team uncovered a deeper consumer insight: in the CrossFit box, everyone is an athlete. It’s not about winning—it’s about showing up, pushing your limits, and belonging to something bigger than yourself.
HiPRO didn’t just sponsor the community—it became part of it. The team trained inside local boxes, formed real relationships, and turned CrossFit coaches into brand ambassadors—not through incentives, but through shared purpose. From drinkable yogurts to high-protein spoonable formats and desserts, the product line evolved in step with the daily rituals of the tribe.
Today, YoPRO/HiPRO is expanding across Europe, aligning with fitness communities from CrossFit to swimming, triathlon, biking, and gym culture. Each market carefully identifies the tribe that best fits the brand, and HiPro grows by connecting with them one tribe at a time.
About The Authors
Matteo Rinaldi is a Senior Marketing Strategy Consultant and Co-Founder of Human Centric Group, with global experience driving double-digit growth for brands like Danone, Carlsberg, Revlon, PepsiCo, and Visa. Having worked across multiple continents, he specializes in leveraging cultural insights for impactful brand strategies. A passionate educator, Matteo teaches marketing worldwide, shaping future industry leaders. Previously, he worked with L’Oréal and Coca-Cola HBC. He is also a best-selling author in marketing.
Tiago Santos is a transformational executive with 25+ years of international experience across blue-chip FMCG companies such as Danone, PepsiCo, Bacardi, and Procter & Gamble. He has held global and regional leadership roles, including Global Marketing Director for Danonino, VP Sales & Marketing for Africa, and General Manager across Brazil, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe. At Danone, he led multi-country business units with full P&L responsibility, managing teams of over 4,000 people and driving strategic turnarounds, innovation pipelines, and sustainable growth. He has a strong track record of delivering impact in complex and diverse markets, from Western Europe to Africa and Central Asia. His leadership philosophy is simple: empower people, drive change, and always believe that where there’s a will, there’s a way
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