7.07 Customer-based Marketing Strategies for the Sustainable and Circular Made in Italy

REFERENCE SPOKE
Spoke 7
OTHER SPOKES

Spoke 2

PROJECT LEADER
Alberto Pastore
PROPOSER
Sapienza Università di Roma
PARTNERS

Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Bari, Università degli Studi di Firenze, AEFFE S.p.A 
7.07 Customer-based Marketing Strategies for the Sustainable and Circular Made in Italy

The research project aims to define a new competitive paradigm for Made in Italy companies based on sustainability and circularity, developing models, approaches, and methods for outlining and implementing marketing strategies based not only on qualitative excellence, which always characterizes Made in Italy productions, but also on the added value of sustainability and circularity. The research will first focus on enhancing branding strategies and understanding consumer responses, and then will investigate the potential offered by new technologies (ie. Metaverses and Virtual realities and metaverses) for the sustainable and circular made in Italy implementation of effective product offering and communication strategies. The project is articulated in eight work-packages:

WP1. “Sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand concept and strategies.
A first interpretative model will be defined for the development of the “sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand concept (values, identity and image elements). On this basis, qualitative research will be conducted through: a) interviews with branding consultants and brand managers aimed at defining the guidelines of the brand-building strategy; b) focus groups with consumers of 3As products to deepen their perspective on the “sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand image and to better define the communication target.

WP2. Communication strategies for “sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand.
Based on a literature review, a multi-method research will be conducted involving SMEs and large companies, with the aim to define a roadmap for communication strategies of sustainable and circular Made in Italy product offerings, leveraging the opportunities offered by digital technologies.

WP3. Policies and tools for the protection from counterfeiting.
Based on a literature review on the instruments for anti-counterfeiting, we will conduct focus groups and interviews with key experts and representative customers, with the aim to define managerial guidelines of best practices and technologies for anti-counterfeiting (e.g., blockchain).

WP4. Metaverses applications and impact on sustainable goals.
Aimed at mapping the landscape in terms of creative and design industries/metaverse applications/sustainable goals.

WP5. Metaverses and sustainability of Made-in-Italy Fashion.
Aimed at identifying how the use of selected digital technologies (i.e., body scanning/virtual filters) can optimize the relationship between apparel sizing and embodiment and making fashion more sustainable for producers as well as consumers.

WP6. Metaverses and sustainability of Made-in-Italy companies’ organization
Aimed at identifying the variables that determine how metaverses can contribute to achieving, altering or obstructing social sustainability (equality, diversity, and inclusion) in Made-in-Italy companies’ workplaces.

WP7. Drivers and barriers of sustainable consumer behaviour
Aimed at investigating consumers’ perceptions (e.g., in terms of product quality, aesthetics, green utility), behavioural intentions (e.g., purchase intention, willingness to pay a premium price or to adopt a given sustainable behaviour) as well as drivers and barriers to sustainable consumption, as related to different alternative options to make products sustainable. Research will focus on specific categories of Made in Italy products related to fashion or fashion accessories.

WP8. Digital communication models of sustainable fashion in Italy
Aimed at investigating innovative websites, social networks and digital platforms in order to define customer-based marketing strategies, related to the environmental and social sustainability of fashion processes and products.

RISULTATI ATTESI

WP1. “Sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand concept and strategies (M3-M36)
Key exploitative results:

  • Building a customer-based interpretative model of the values underlying the “sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand concept and branding strategies
  • Defining managerial guidelines for branding strategies that operate with the endorsement of the sustainable and circular Made in Italy ‘mother brand’.

Deliverables:

  • Literature review (M9)
  • Report on the brand concept values (M18)
  • Report on the consumer-based values (M24)
  • Report on customer-driven branding strategies (M36).

WP2. Communication strategies for “sustainable and circular Made in Italy” brand (M3-M36)
Key exploitative results:

  • Identifying the strategic and operational roadmap for communicating the value of the sustainable and circular product offerings by integrating traditional and digital tools and media (e.g., virtual reality, augmented reality, AI, social commerce), from an omnichannel perspective.

Deliverables:

  • Literature review (M9)
  • Report on the communication strategies and activities (M24)
  • Roadmap for communicating sustainability and circular branded product offerings (M36).

WP3. Policies and tools for the protection from counterfeiting (M3-M36)
Key exploitative results:

  • Highlighting the economic and non-economic risks associated with the counterfeiting
  • Mapping the scientific-technological macro-strands applicable to combat counterfeiting
  • Advancing the knowledge on new digital technologies for anti-counterfeiting

Deliverables:

  • Literature review (M9)
  • Report on risks associated with the counterfeiting (M24)
  • Managerial guidelines for new technological tools for anti-counterfeiting (M36).

WP4. Metaverses applications and impact on sustainability goals (M1-M12)
Key exploitative results:

  • Designing of a map that summarizes
    – which metaverse technologies can impact sustainability in organizational processes as well as producer/consumer practices of Made-in-Italy companies;
    – which industries, organizational processes, and consumer practices are more likely to be impacted and how;
    -which effects these applications can have on environmental, economic and social sustainability.

Deliverables:

  • Literature analysis (M10)
  • Report for companies (M10)
  • Scientific paper for academic audience (M12)
  • Organization of/participation in a public event (M12)

WP5. Metaverses and sustainability of Made-in-Italy products’ consumption (M10-M24)
Key exploitative results:

  • Understanding how selected digital technologies (i.e., body scanning/virtual filters) can optimize the relationship between apparel sizing and embodiment and making fashion more sustainable.

Deliverables:

  • Report for executives in the field of Made-in-Italy Fashion (M10)
  • Presentation at a scientific conference (M18)
  • Scientific paper based on a qualitative field study (M24)

WP6. Metaverses and sustainability of Made-in-Italy companies’ organization (M20-M36)
Key exploitative results:

  • Understanding how metaverses can contribute to achieving, altering or obstructing social sustainability in Made-in-Italy companies’ workplaces.

Deliverables:

  • Report for executives of industry-wise Made-in-Italy companies (M10)
  • Presentation at a scientific conference (M24)
  • Academic paper about workplaces in the metaverse (M36).

WP7. Drivers and barriers of sustainable consumer behaviour (M3-M24)
Key exploitative results:

  • Advancing the knowledge on the options to make fashion products and accessories sustainable
  • Advancing the knowledge on how consumers value each of the identified options, as well as on drivers and barriers to sustainable consumption
  • developing policy guidelines to improve consumers’ awareness on sustainable products

Deliverables:

  • Report on the options to make the investigated products sustainable (M9),
  • Report on the results of the survey (M24)

WP8. Digital communication models of sustainable fashion in Italy
Key exploitative results:

  • Advancing the understanding of the brand identity on the sustainability issues of made in Italy fashion
  • Developing guidelines for digital communication of sustainable fashion processes and products

Deliverables:

  • Literature review (M9)
  • Scientific paper on case studies analysis (M24)

Project n.: PE_00000004
MADE IN ITALY CIRCOLARE E SOSTENIBILE
C.F. 97931690156

Contatti

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