Interview with Luca Bassani
provided to Manner of Man Magazine by
Wally Monaco for exclusive use.
All rights reserved.
This
exclusive interview with Luca Bassani of Wally was conducted by Nicola Linza
and Cristoffer Neljesjö in Monaco during June 2011
Why did you start Wally?
Because I could not find any boat on the market which could intrigue my passion and satisfy my experience. so I decided to design and build myself such a type of boat: fast and easy.
In designing a new yacht what are the primary factors you take into consideration for a new client?
I need to know his marine experience and his wishes in terms of cruises, family, friends, style of life onboard. But on top of everything I need to know if he likes to innovate, to be the first or if he likes to be reassured.
What was the inspiration behind the Wally-Hermes Yacht?
I thought that two brands so iconic and two products so much on top of the market could create together a new standard in any size of yachting. The WHY was the first expression of this synergical cooperation; a mega yacht which breaks all the traditional rules to offer more and simply more: we indeed created a new art of living on the sea.
For those who have yet to have the pleasure to experience your video presentation of the Wally-Hermes Yacht can you describe some of the unique characteristics and significant design elements?
The stability of this well proven hull; the exploitability of a shape that is much much wider than traditional yachts (traditional yachts are like trains! long and narrow); the feeling to live on your own island rather than on a yacht; the coherence of the whole project inside and outside; the sustainability of the whole system.
It seems that many luxury brands today have lost sight of their true clientele and are relying on social media and apps to generate direct sales. You are one who has a clear and honest understanding of your clientele who are ready, willing and able buyers. How do you view social media and apps?
We are small enough to keep the feeling of what our clients want and how our product has to be to satisfy them. Our products are based on clear ideas: performance, quality, style. And we want to sell our products not our booth at the boat-shows nor our promotional events and apps. For us the market is still driven by the client and by the product, stop.
As you have successfully cornered the large luxury yacht market clearly your buyer lives the lifestyle therefore how does brand awareness play into your marketing?
Brand awareness is extremely important in any industry but you can achieve it only if you have a good product and a good service. And always be very coherent with everything you do, with no compromises. Difficult to build and very easy to destroy!
The above interview with Luca Bassani 2011 © Manner of Man Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.
