Page 32 - Business Insights 2012-2013

T here are many examples of this. In the sixties,
the Volkswagen Beetle became a cultural icon,
symbolising youth, freedom and non-conformism
through its popularity with the hippie movement.
More recently, Apple has turned its electronic
products into highly prized cultural symbols. Whilst
the cultural status acquired by the Volkswagen Beetle
was accidental, Apple actively used innovative design
to position its products as more stylish and desirable
than any of its competitors.
“Whilst much research has been conducted into the
value that can be placed on objects by consumers
because of what they say about their status within
a certain socio-economic group, until now little
attention has been given to the role manufacturers
can have in shaping this value.” Dr Dalpiaz argues
that the creation of value through the use of cultural
resources should be incorporated into the strategy of
the whole organisation. “It is a process that requires
an explicit corporation-wide strategy, a cultural
intent, to create value using cultural resources to
achieve a specific cultural positioning for the firm’s
products, increase profitability and enhance the
value of the brand.”
In order to understand more fully how organisations
can use new and diverse cultural resources, Dr
Dalpiaz conducted a detailed analysis of the
changes that took place from 1970 to 2006 at
Alessi, (the Italian manufacturer of household
goods) to observe how it used cultural resources to
Adding value through
cultural
influences
How do some products acquire cultural significance making
them attractive to consumers above and beyond their
functional purpose? Either by circumstance or by design,
saysDr Elena Dalpiaz, Assistant Professor in Strategy at
Imperial College Business School, who has been studying
how cultural resources and influences can be used to
increase the symbolic value of products in order to make
them more attractive to customers.
Alessi S.p.a, Crusinallo, Italy / alessi.com
BUSINESS INSIGHTS 2012 – 2013 32