1.Introduction
2.Marketing and communication theory.
3.The integrated marketing communication mix.
4.Consuption: a communicative system itself.
5.Creation and communication of images: a model.
6.Food: culture and communication.
7.Case histories: analysis of the Bistefani and Perugina marketing communications.
Social changes have proposed a model of society where objects are important not only for their use but for their meaning and their communication potential which itself inform the society of consumption, that is, a communicative system which is mainly shaped by marketing and communication tools. I have used marketing, semiotic, linguistic and psychologic theory to analyse and propose a model of how images are created and work. I then focus the analysis upon a particular product which is food, the objective is to show its communicative value and its role within the wider consuption realm before illustrated. Complete the work two national italian case histories coming from the sweet food industry: Perugina sweets and Bistefani biscuits.
I began with a solid background underpinning marketing and communication theory: we are dealing here with �the management of meaning�, that is communicating values, knowledge and beliefs to create images by means of marketing communication tools: the integrated marketing communication mix.
I begin with the well known Jakobson model of communication to develop a model applied to the actors of communication in the market place.
The communicative path starts from a:
1.personality, the caracteristic of an organisation or a product;
2.identity, all the signs use by a personality to project themself out;
3.image the belief that a personality X conveys.
The communicative context in which an organization communicates is formed by 4 different levels:
1.Supplier-Organization-Intermediaries-Customer.
2.Competitors.
3.Public.
4.External trends.
This context implies an integrated communicative model where the organization is the hub of an hectic web of interrelations always and actively negotiating with its publics using marketing communication tools.
Effective communication then imply that all the actors of the context internal and external communicate and interact effectively.
I have here treated the tools of the communication mix, A first discrimination is internal and esternal communication.The first is called to create the corporate identity, whereas the second deals with the creation of the corporate image.
After having analized the peculiarities of each tool, I have analyzed the mix: Advertising, Public realation, Sponsoring, Promotion, Direct marketing, Below the line communication, brand, naming and lettering, Packaging.
Goods differ not only for their use, technology etc. but expecially in the same segment for their inner meaning, messages, values, life styles which they convey and propose. We are dealing then with goods that are signes, that stands for somenthing else: images. Semiotic analysis applied to marketing helps to understand and create images of goods and advertising that sells.
After focusing upon marketing communication theory and consuption as a communicative system we now focus on the creation of images using the marketing communication mix, positioning and socio semiotic theory.
The model in brief, provides a first distinction among:
1.expected images, how the good want to be perceived by the consumer;
2.perceived image, the effective and actual representation of images by consumers.
Images are then articulated through:
1.levels of representation which the public has of each product/service.
2.Semantic field to interpret the element of images (predicates and attributes) espress by the public and who conveys the image.
3.Referens can be phisical, functional, behavior of the Offer and what is expected by the consumer(style, prestige etc.).
This characteristics are elaborated through conventions and stereotypes that are attached to goods by the consumer, images though conceived as �mental events� have a double role: cultural and normative. (of behaviour)
At the core of each strategy to build an image lies the creation of a semantic field where all the predicats and attributes would then be placed.To sum things up this result in an opinion study to acknowledge notoriety grade and reputation. The next step consist in directing the consumer� behaviour in the act of purchase: that is how from the semantic field are generated the choice criteria and how product, brand and company images respond to expecations.
We must define then 4 area of intervention when operate to build an image that have an impact on the act of purchase:
1.Defining choice criteria: creating the appeal of good attribuite;
2.Corporate, brand, product notoriety and identification;
3.Brand connotation: this is the role of communication marketign mix;
4.Evaluation and fidelity of product;
To conclude managing images means:
1.Define comunication objectives and positioning consumer characteristics and expectations.
2.Follow up in time according to product life cycle.
3.Articulate image in its levels of corporate, brand, and product.
Images so understood can also contribute to regolate social conduct focusing and redirecting communications not only to sell but also to enhance life quality.
Long forgotten famine and starvation at least in the so called industrial world food became also sign itself, symbol, communicative system. We trace the evolution of such a system from the anthropological contrapposition of Nature vs. Culture and their oppositions giving us a precious insight for istance of how social structure is built and society is diveded in classes.We then identify 4 different models of food consuption corresponding to different lifestyle: natural, medical, relational, playing.
I have been assigned the sweet segment of the food industry. The Analysis has been conducted according to two directions:
1.how the product is born, analysis of the firm, context and positioning;
2.how the market has been created and developped, role of the marketing communication mix and its evolution in the course of time.
The two directions represent respectively the Demand�s trends which combined with the Offer�trends meet in the act of purchase and give us the X-rays of a market success.
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