The Rise of Storytelling as a Marketing Strategy for “Made in Italy” Products

Abstract

Storytelling is the process of using fact and narrative to communi­cate something to the audience. The first approach to storytelling takes place as children, with the dual purpose of imagining a space-time different from reality, and secondly that of establishing contact with one’s parents, who are required to commit themselves daily, to transmit values and teachings. Pop­ular myths and legends perform four functions that allow human beings to understand themselves, others, the mysteries of life and the universe that surrounds them (Atkinson, 2002). These functions are: − the psychological function: it helps the person to define himself more clearly thanks to the possibility of reordering and deciphering experiences; − the social function: allows the person to understand what he has in common with others and what distinguishes him; − the cosmological-philosophical function: it supports the person in having a clearer vision of her role in the world, − the mystical-religious function: it allows the person to feel awe, won­der, humility and gratitude towards the mysteries that surround them. More and more small and large companies are engaging in a marketing ac­tivity called content marketing, considering the idea that storytelling is the key to attracting and retaining customers, especially in culturally far-away markets. Storytelling marketing is a description where the company combines the company’s identity with the company’s philosophy to create a product or service activity (Salzer-Morling & Stannegard, 2004). In fact, with the global financial crisis of 2009, investors reduced their invest­ments in communication, especially the budget allocated to television (-3.1% in 2011). Conversely, the internet grew (+12.3%) (Nielsen, 2012). But how to communicate a product to a different culture not sharing the same ideas, symbols, actions and dispositions of the company? This study aims to analyze which strategies have been applied in the story­telling of typically “Made in Italy” food products and representative of the Italian gastronomic heritage towards Asia. Briefly, the research aims to answer the following questions: RQ 1: Which strategies have been adopted by small-medium-large en­terprises in order to promote Italian products into culturally distant markets? RQ 2: Which strategies are effective, in order to be considered also for future business? The research is therefore based on an analysis of the literature on storytell­ing as a marketing strategy and then goes on to observe some case studies.