The Business Lecture Series at The American University of Rome welcomed Fulvio De Bonis, CEO and co-founder of Imago Artis Travel, for a talk that challenged conventional ideas of marketing. Rather than focusing on promotion or sales, De Bonis explored marketing as a practice rooted in connection, perception, and the emotional value of experience.
Drawing on his professional journey, he began with a formative moment from a private tour, when a client unexpectedly asked him to stop speaking. What initially felt like failure became a turning point. By stepping back and observing, he recognized that genuine connection depends less on performance and more on listening, awareness, and the ability to adapt in real time.
From this perspective, he argued that the most effective form of marketing remains word of mouth. Experiences, when meaningful, carry themselves, shared through conversations, relationships, and memory rather than traditional advertising. Trust and reputation, he suggested, are built organically through these human exchanges.
De Bonis also reframed the concept of luxury. Moving beyond price or exclusivity, he described it as something inherently personal - defined by what people feel and remember. “Luxury is invisible until you feel it,” he noted, emphasizing that its value lies in access, perspective, and emotion rather than material markers.
Central to this approach is the role of perception. The same place can be experienced in entirely different ways depending on the individual, shaped by culture, background, and emotion. This variability, he explained, requires a flexible and responsive mindset, where experiences are not standardized but tailored in the moment.
That process begins with understanding the individual. Even a simple question can unlock insight into personal preferences, allowing an experience to unfold in a way that feels specific rather than constructed. Each detail is then adjusted accordingly, creating something that resonates on a deeper level.
People, he stressed, remain at the heart of these experiences. Beyond destinations themselves, it is the interactions with artisans, locals, and hosts that give meaning and authenticity to a place. These human connections transform moments into lasting memories.
The session also invited reflection. Through discussion with students, themes of personal values, ambition, and career direction emerged, reinforcing the lecture’s core idea that meaningful outcomes, whether in business or life, are shaped through attention, curiosity, and engagement.
Looking back on his own path, De Bonis emphasized the importance of consistency, passion, and long-term vision. Building something of value, he noted, requires patience, adaptability, and a willingness to trust one’s direction over time.
He closed with a message that resonated with many in the room: approach the future with confidence, take risks, and don’t be constrained by the expectation of a fixed path.
The lecture ultimately reframed marketing not as a function of selling, but as the creation of experiences that endure - shaping how people remember, interpret, and share the world around them.
