Campagnolo is Catholic. Shimano is Buddhist. SRAM is Baptist.
Hermeneutical exegesis: Campagnolo is hidebound, stuffy, mysterious, poetic and a little sinister. Shimano is abstract and ethereal, but in a very plain, sensible and dependable way. SRAM is forthright, insistent and practical, but a little bit irritating.
Italians. Japanese. Americans. Pick your poison.