Articoli taggati con ‘branding’
Made in Italy museums. Some reflections on company heritage networking and communication
Corporate museums arise today as a powerful identity medium for companies and brands representing Made in Italy worldwide. At the beginning of the new millennium, such cultural centers, preserving and communicating the Italian economic history, are extending their presence in most of the country and market sectors. They define a very fragmentary universe (indeed, a still largely underground “dorsal” of Made in Italy culture), but also an investment which could support the cultivation of innovative quality relationships among companies, territory, and society. From this scenario, the paper aims to offer a synthetic overview of the phenomenon concerning company museums and its contemporary evolution within the Italian context, where it appears to be unique for both dimensions and its qualitative features if compared with the international scenario. Indeed, this means also to reflect about the special affinity which seems to exist between museum format and the essence of Made in Italy culture, rising nowadays internationally as a strategic communication discourse.
Developing a museum brand to enhance awareness and secure financial stability
Facing severe budget cuts, fierce competition, and being compelled to demonstrate their worth in terms of current policy to maintain ongoing funding, museums are now appraised by the experiences and benefits they generate as much as by the collections and exhibitions they display. Branding strategies, often seen in the for-profit sphere, are now also been undertaken by cutting-edge museums, recognising these as critical tools so as to enhance awareness, develop brand-customer relationships, and guarantee financial stability through continuous support and secondary revenue streams.
The Sacred and the Vulgar
Last month Richard Florida released a new edition of his famously controversial book, “The Rise of the Creative Class Revisited”. Now that the business world is interested in creativity, the new edition could, potentially, outsell the first edition many times over. The recent popularity of creativity may come as a relief to some. Those that have been tirelessly advocating for the arts’ place in education can now more easily connect arts education to preparedness for entering the workforce. Cultural economists also benefit as more cities want metrics to prove the cultural vibrancy of their community. This edition of the Journal includes an article by Valentina Montalto, in which she describes new efforts to quantify the impact of creative industries and, importantly, the effects of policy; and an article by Julia Ferreira de Abreu, in which she describes steps an institution can take to become an integrated member of its community.
