The many ways to tell the story of companies
An unconventional analysis of the promotion of corporate archives
History, but also corporate rhetoric. A thoughtful account of the past that continues and evolves in the present, but which must be approached with great care. There are now numerous significant analyses and studies on this subject. This reflects the many different ways in which a company’s story can be told and interpreted.
‘Di poeti, ingegneri, santi (e) imprenditori. Storia retorica del tecno-umanesimo industriale e l’utile eredità del patrimonio d’impresa’ (Of poets, engineers, saints (and) entrepreneurs. A rhetorical history of industrial techno-humanism and the valuable legacy of corporate heritage) – a recently published essay by Simone Dotto, a researcher at the University of Udine where he teaches History of Media and Media Archaeology – tackles the subject with a distinctive and undoubtedly original approach.
As Dotto himself explains, his research focuses on ‘the way in which heritage institutions contribute to the public narrative of Italian industrial history’. The case study examined in the research is that of the Olivetti archive and the exhibition policies of the exhibition ‘A History of Innovation’ (2019). The study begins with an overview of Adriano Olivetti’s approach to industry, before moving on to a detailed analysis of the exhibition ‘A History of Innovation’. This is examined from multiple perspectives and viewed as ‘the construction of every narrative of the past as an interweaving of the politics of remembrance and oblivion’.
In his conclusions, Simone Dotto explains, ‘Selecting machines, architectural sites, advertising posters or any other element deemed relevant to a company’s history in order to showcase their aesthetic qualities and artistic merit removes them from their intended context and incorporates them into the cultural heritage in the name of their “beauty”, whilst overlooking their social significance. However, if proponents of heritage marketing are right that history can be transformed into a strategic resource for ‘telling stories’, then it is equally true that history itself is made up of the stories that have been told. It is not only dates, names, and technological advances that shape the history of innovation, but also cultural representations and discourses.’
It is important to be aware of the conclusions of Simone Dotto’s research, even if you may not agree with them. His research is well worth reading carefully.
Simone Dotto
CLIONET – PER UN SENSO DEL TEMPO E DEI LUOGHI, number 10, year 2026
