Valerio Temperini

The Brand Made in Italy: A Critical Analysis

Several studies about the brand “made in Italy” have illustrated the real significance of this brand, placing it in the top position for brand awareness in most countries. The words “made in Italy” evoke in consumers‟ minds attributes that positively characterize the image of Italy as a country—in particular, the attributes of creativity, aesthetics, quality, and sophistication—facilitating the perception of a differential value through the effect of the product-country association. Italians are proud of this, but what really composes the brand “made in Italy”? Above all, is there any truth behind this expression? The paper aims to propose a critical analysis about the “made in Italy” value appropriation and the future development of this brand.

Sustainable Management of Events in an Experiential Perspective

Events are complex value propositions that are realized by specialists to meet different leisure and entertainment needs. They are highly intangible and experiential-type products (Pencarelli and Forlani 2016) to which the application of logical experience is particularly suitable (Bartolazzi et al. 2008; Pegg and Patterson 2010; Manthiou et al. 2014; Getz and Page 2016). This chapter aims to describe the role played by events in the experience economy for territories involved in sustainable tourism strategies. The authors also propose a model for event impact analysis and evaluation. Starting from the idea that tourist destinations represent a stage on which tourism products can be displayed, so as to satisfy the demands of travelers seeking engaging experiences (Pencarelli and Forlani 2016), the importance of the role played by destination management in managing the events is further underlined. Tourists searching such experiences want to be in the spotlight and co-participate with territorial players in the creation of value. As such, event management requires the use of tools such as planning, organization, and control in order to design, plan, and put on a balanced program of events while monitoring the impact on value creation for both tourists and regional stakeholders within the perspective of sustainability. This chapter proposes to redefine the experiential perspective of a set of indicators that are useful in holistically evaluating the performance of events in a traditional tri-faceted dimension, i.e., economic, social, and environmental.

Problematizing customization and IT in the fashion industry: A case study of an Italian shoemaker

Abstract This paper focuses on the problematization of customization processes in the fashion industry. We investigate how companies may face and orchestrate customization processes that are based on the use of specific Information and Technology (IT) tools such as online sales configurators. Most studies on customization in fashion have considered the roles of consumers and their impact on the development of customization strategies. The co-development of customized goods – the choices concerning which IT system should be implemented to allow customers to design their products – has been studied extensively. We offer new insights into the extent to which customization represents an issue to be managed in business relationships, particularly among different business actors involved in a supplier network. By considering the case of a shoe manufacturer we seek to answer to the following research questions: (1) How can a fashion company implement a customized solution via the Internet? (2) Which specific trade-offs affect the management of customization and IT when online customization must be linked to offline production? The paper concludes with implications and suggestions for further research.

Consumers’ Trust in Food Quality and Willingness to Pay More for National Parks’ Brands: Preliminary Evidence From Italy

ABSTRACT In Italy, national parks allow the use of their brand logo and name on the labels of food products produced by firms located within the national parks. However, no empirical research has yet investigated the impact of national park brands on consumers’ attitudes and behaviors. Hence, this empirical study explores the factors that influence consumer trust in food quality and their willingness to pay premium prices for the national park brands. Results from a survey involving a sample of 227 Italian consumers suggest that women and younger consumers trust more and are more willing to pay for national park brands. The origin of food products associated with national parks, naturalness of foods, food quality certifications and branding, and the environment in which the packaged foods originate influence consumer confidence and buying behavior. Implications for food marketers and policymakers are discussed.