CREDITS: US 3/4 - ECTS 6

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will introduce students to the main critical approaches and methods in use in sport, culture and performing arts marketing, with a special focus on the lowest common denominator among these fields: the “immaterial” nature of a sport, culture/art or performing arts event, a concept which is central in all these three fields of study, and traditionally distinguishes them from products focused approaches. On the other side, it will help them understand the importance of events marketing in any market, whereas “events” are recognized now as the most powerful tools of an advertising strategy.
Il will lead them discover the KSF of successful marketing campaigns, through the analysis of a few best practices (examples will include either Fiorentina’s for sport, Museo degli Uffizi’s for the arts, La Scala’s for the performing arts, and others), and more examples of events marketing strategies, such as those pursued by Consorzio del Prosecco DOC’s (food & beverage), Condé Nast’s (fashion & publishing), Ferrari’s (cars/luxury), and others. This will help them understand the richness of the field, and provide them with an insight of the challenges any marketing or communications’ officer must face today.
A special focus of the course will be on the concept of “intangible values’”. It is known that we as consumers are not interested in just buying and consuming a product, alone. Products’ “intangibles” - i.e. brands image, in the first place - have always been a part of the “reasons why” we were willing to buy such products, besides being a source of contentment in consumption, and therefore one of the biggest focuses for generations of marketing managers now. Today more than ever before though, we are definitely craving for more: we need to make sense through our consumption behavior, to know “who” are we buying from, what does this mean in global economic terms, if we are doing any evil to others, who are our fellow consumers, why are we buying it, and – moreover– we also like being rewarded, awarded, entertained, considered as an important part of relationship process by our vendor.
Intangible values have such tangible impact on producers that they are becoming the central points of any successful marketing strategy. The present marketing paradigm having definitely shifted to a “service” oriented and a quality management understanding of any form of consumption, developing a brand’s marketing strategy and delivering an effective marketing campaign today means meeting such needs of “intangible” values, be it in the dimensions of service, experience, membership and belonging, moral and social reward, and emotional connection.