Promoting "Made in Italy" abroad: don't forget marketing translations!
When you sell your products, either abroad or in your home country, you have to show your target audience why they should buy from your company and the special characteristics they can find only in your products. In other words, what’s the difference between you and your competitors?
It might sound superfluous, but you must focus on your strength points. For instance, if you are an Italian brand willing to reach international markets, you should point out the high quality of your Made in Italy products and be conscious of the imagery it implies: excellence, creativity, innovation, uniqueness.
The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation proclaimed today as the first Italian Design Day in the World, which involves 100 cities with 100 events around the world. The aim is to promote the high quality and creativity of Italian designs; well-known Italian designers have been invited by several institutions to illustrate the concept of excellence.
Italy is actually recognized as a worldwide trend-setter in different design fields such as urban, industrial, fashion, and furniture design; the expressions Bel Design and Linea Italiana have even made their home in the vocabulary of furniture design since the 1940s.
Italian art had its peak during the Renaissance, when many noble families invested money in the arts and culture. By the end of the Industrial Revolution, Italian design slowly started to grow, but it was only after the Second World War that it was able to reach many countries in the world, becoming a trademark of the country.
Yet, what can really mark the difference between you and other companies is not just the material quality your product is made of, but also the passion you put into it. This is a key element that helps you make your products one-of-a-kind and irresistible. Customers can sense it—do not underestimate them.
Speaking of customers, there is one more thing to take into consideration if you plan to become a worldwide top seller—the way you are going to approach a foreign audience that does not know anything about you. To put it simply, do you think the advertisement you create for the Italian market would have the same effect in the United States or Japan?
You need to know and understand those cultures; that is, you should present the uniqueness of your Italian products through the parameters of those people and in their language. In this case, a solid marketing plan, along with a good translation and transcreation provided by professionals, will be your door to the market you want to conquer and will boost your sales.
At Athena Parthenos, this is the reason why we love to define ourselves as the promoters of Made in Italy—we empathize with you and your uniqueness!
Written by Marcella Sartore, Marketing & Communication Assistant @ Athena Parthenos