As one of the main railway hubs in Italy, Rome's central train station is always bustling with people. The giant advertisements hanging high above are undoubtedly a bright landscape in the station. The fiery bodies of Cristiano Ronaldo and Megan Fox attracted countless eyes at the top of the crowd. Under the shine of these superstars, the white Armani logo on the black background sparkles brilliantly - fashion can be considered as a business card of "Italian manufacturing," representing its most vivid and high-end side.
From Armani to Brand Marketing
To establish itself firmly in the fashion-conscious Italian market and gain a foothold in the global market, appropriate marketing strategies are indispensable for any brand.
Armani is undoubtedly one of the most famous Italian brands worldwide. According to data released by Armani, even in 2009 when the world was deeply affected by the financial crisis, Armani Group's turnover still reached 6 billion euros, making its success undeniable.
Armani continues the Italian clothing industry's tradition of exquisite craftsmanship and quality materials, consistently promoting the design philosophy of "simplicity is beauty." For those who admire "Italian manufacturing," the purity of style lineage is particularly attractive.
Armani has also been quite successful in its licensing business. For a long time, licensing has been seen as a double-edged sword in the luxury industry. On one hand, it can quickly expand brand recognition; on the other hand, there is a risk of lowering the brand's image in consumers' minds. Armani's current approach is to outsource most non-core businesses through licensing while ensuring continuous investment in its core clothing brands. This effectively expands brand recognition, converts low-cost non-core products into revenue quickly, ensures sufficient funds, and simultaneously guarantees the leading concepts and excellent quality of core businesses.
The characteristics of the fashion industry determine that new concepts and products need some time to gain market recognition. Therefore, a relatively relaxed financial environment can leave more space for the growth of fashion enterprises. High financial independence allows Armani to have the freedom to develop markets.
In addition, in terms of brand promotion, Armani is one of the first modern fashion designers to realize the marketing potential of celebrities and put it into practice. Since providing costumes for the movie "American Gigolo" in the early 1980s and becoming an overnight sensation, celebrities have played a crucial role in the growth of the Armani brand. Many well-known Hollywood stars have a preference for Armani fashion, and Armani also seizes opportunities to provide formal and evening wear for celebrities attending various ceremonies. The elegant celebrities paired with distinctive clothing enter the vision of thousands of households through media reports, effectively enhancing the brand's influence and appeal.
Of course, Armani's success story may not be replicable, but its experience is worth studying and learning from.
Protecting the "Golden Sign"
In fact, what makes Italy famous worldwide is not only its fashion industry. Its textile, leather-making, footwear, furniture, winemaking, jewelry, and machinery industries are all renowned globally. "Made in Italy" has always been synonymous with high taste and high quality.
The Italian government cherishes its "golden sign" very much and strives to enhance its reputation. In many international occasions and conferences, the Italian government promotes "Made in Italy" as an overall image. For example, before the Shanghai Expo, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, General Representative of the Expo Quintieri, and other officials at all levels consistently expressed that they would take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Shanghai Expo to let China and even all of Asia better understand the characteristics of Italy and "Made in Italy."
Currently, the misuse of the "Made in Italy" label is quite common in Italy. Many clothing and shoes imported into Italy undergo only simple reprocessing before being directly labeled as "Made in Italy" and sold in the market. Such practices significantly impact authentic "Made in Italy" products, which have limited production and rely heavily on manual processes. Meanwhile, sellers can take the opportunity to inflate prices and make profits after labeling products with "Made in Italy."
In response, the Italian government has taken some practical measures to protect this "business card." For instance, in the highly competitive international clothing market, to preserve the "purity" of "Made in Italy," the Italian Senate and Chamber of Deputies have passed bills stipulating that starting from October 1st this year, only garments, footwear, and leather goods whose entire or major processing procedures are completed within Italy will be allowed to bear the "Made in Italy" label. For products not entirely processed in Italy, the location and specific procedures of "overseas work" must be indicated. Companies violating this law will face fines or even bankruptcy.
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