Valuing and marketing corporate heritage
A recent piece of research discusses corporate histories in relation to web communication tools
Companies who have a heritage and know how to manage it properly do not just value heritage in itself – they use it as a base on which to build the present and the future. This is a valuable guide for companies wishing to develop their own all-round corporate culture, so that they can look forward without forgetting what they have already done. It is a question of ability and sensitivity, but also of examples to follow; this is where Sharon Carducci has situated her thesis “La valorizzazione del patrimonio storico d’impresa tra tradizione e innovazione. Una content analysis sulla comunicazione web dei marchi storici italiani del settore agroalimentare (Valuing Corporate Heritage: Tradition and Innovation. A Content Analysis of Historical Italian Food Brands’ Web Communication)”, which Carducci recently presented at the International University of Rome’s Faculty of Economics.
A few days ago she received the Carpenè-Malvolti Degree Prize, established in collaboration with the UICI (Union of Italian Centenarian Companies) and funded by the Conegliano-based company of the same name as part of the programme of events held for the Italian Capitals of Culture programme. It was a richly deserved reward for a piece of work that attempts to delve into how companies’ heritage is leveraged, with a focus on communication strategies and tools that promote the activity. Specifically, the research was based on a qualitative empirical analysis to understand how longstanding companies in the food sector currently communicate their heritage from a brand identity perspective. Prior to that, however, Sharon Carducci developed her own analysis of the concept of brand heritage, viewed not as a nostalgic way of reviving the past, but rather as a tool that companies can use to differentiate themselves from competitors.
She then analysed the websites of the 154 food companies listed in Italy’s Special Register of Historic Brands of National Interest; this led to her identifying the texts that used the best techniques and communication formulas to tell the story of the company. Moreover, by closely studying the lexicon, a number of recurring words emerged, and, in turn, the main topics that companies base their narrative on. First and foremost, these topics encompassed the story of the business, the concept of “longevity”, the roots of the brand, the details of its offering and, lastly, the principles and values that form the foundation of the company’s moral code. The results of the analysis provide some particularly interesting managerial insights.
Sharon Carducci’s work is a good example of analytical expertise (conducted using modern methodologies) combined with historical sensitivity. This is a work to be read and taken as a model.
La valorizzazione del patrimonio storico d’impresa tra tradizione e innovazione. Una content analysis sulla comunicazione web dei marchi storici italiani del settore agroalimentare (Valuing Corporate Heritage: Tradition and Innovation. A Content Analysis of Historical Italian Food Brands’ Web Communication)
Sharon Carducci
Faculty of Economics, International University of Rome, 2023.
A recent piece of research discusses corporate histories in relation to web communication tools
Companies who have a heritage and know how to manage it properly do not just value heritage in itself – they use it as a base on which to build the present and the future. This is a valuable guide for companies wishing to develop their own all-round corporate culture, so that they can look forward without forgetting what they have already done. It is a question of ability and sensitivity, but also of examples to follow; this is where Sharon Carducci has situated her thesis “La valorizzazione del patrimonio storico d’impresa tra tradizione e innovazione. Una content analysis sulla comunicazione web dei marchi storici italiani del settore agroalimentare (Valuing Corporate Heritage: Tradition and Innovation. A Content Analysis of Historical Italian Food Brands’ Web Communication)”, which Carducci recently presented at the International University of Rome’s Faculty of Economics.
A few days ago she received the Carpenè-Malvolti Degree Prize, established in collaboration with the UICI (Union of Italian Centenarian Companies) and funded by the Conegliano-based company of the same name as part of the programme of events held for the Italian Capitals of Culture programme. It was a richly deserved reward for a piece of work that attempts to delve into how companies’ heritage is leveraged, with a focus on communication strategies and tools that promote the activity. Specifically, the research was based on a qualitative empirical analysis to understand how longstanding companies in the food sector currently communicate their heritage from a brand identity perspective. Prior to that, however, Sharon Carducci developed her own analysis of the concept of brand heritage, viewed not as a nostalgic way of reviving the past, but rather as a tool that companies can use to differentiate themselves from competitors.
She then analysed the websites of the 154 food companies listed in Italy’s Special Register of Historic Brands of National Interest; this led to her identifying the texts that used the best techniques and communication formulas to tell the story of the company. Moreover, by closely studying the lexicon, a number of recurring words emerged, and, in turn, the main topics that companies base their narrative on. First and foremost, these topics encompassed the story of the business, the concept of “longevity”, the roots of the brand, the details of its offering and, lastly, the principles and values that form the foundation of the company’s moral code. The results of the analysis provide some particularly interesting managerial insights.
Sharon Carducci’s work is a good example of analytical expertise (conducted using modern methodologies) combined with historical sensitivity. This is a work to be read and taken as a model.
La valorizzazione del patrimonio storico d’impresa tra tradizione e innovazione. Una content analysis sulla comunicazione web dei marchi storici italiani del settore agroalimentare (Valuing Corporate Heritage: Tradition and Innovation. A Content Analysis of Historical Italian Food Brands’ Web Communication)
Sharon Carducci
Faculty of Economics, International University of Rome, 2023.