Have you ever been shopping and seen that ‘Made in Italy’ tag? Subconsciously, we correlate a product made in Italy with craftsmanship, quality, heritage and luxury. Brand loyalty is so strong that many consumers will purchase a product just because it was made in Italy. Why is that?
Italian fashion, art, wine and race cars are all encompassed by the nation brand, Made in Italy that demonstrates an integrated and collective brand message. While the Made in Italy tag is not a company, it’s a merchandising mark that indicates to consumers that a product is planned, manufactured and assembled in Italy. The brand itself is worth over 7.5 billion dollars and is the backbone of the Italian Economy.
The Made in Italy brand was introduced in the early ’80s to specify a unique brand positioning of traditional Italian industries: fashion, food, furniture and mechanical engineering. Since 1999, the brand has been protected by Italian Government institutions. In 2009, an Italian law was introduced to determine what characterizes the use of the Made in Italy tag. A list of Italian brands includes Barilla, Ferrero, Versace, Salvatore Ferragamo, Bulgari, Bottega Venetta, Kartell, Ferrari and hundreds more.
The Made in Italy tag communicates to consumers that the product they are purchasing is rooted in Italian excellence. By purchasing a product that is made in Italy from start to finish, you are purchasing Italian heritage and identity.
The brand facilitates the recognition of a differential value in consumers through the influence of the product-country association. My grandfather used to always say, “there are two kinds of people in this world, Italians and then everyone else who wants to be Italian”. The Made in Italy brand capitalizes on the idealistic Italian lifestyle, which has proved to be captivating to many consumers.
What do you think of the Made in Italy brand?
References:
https://www.academia.edu/25292337/Made_in_Italy_-The_nation_brand_of_Italian_fashion
http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/made-in-italy_(Dizionario-di-Economia-e-Finanza)/
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