Can Emotional Engagement in Festivals increase products’ consumption?

The Case of Italian Week in Australia Alessandro Sorbello, Griffith University, International Business and Asian Studies, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, Email: alessandrosorbello@gmail.com

Dr. Eliane Karsaklian, Université Sorbonne, Paris, France Email: eliane.karsaklian@univ-paris3.fr

Why we did it - Our theory

This research focuses on the role of Italian Week as a vector of the country of origin effect in stimulating consumption of Italian brands by generating experiential meaning through emotional engagement.

Our research question: How does a cultural festival leverage country of origin effect to create emotional engagement thus increasing consumption of products from the country promoted by the festival?

We assume that emotional engagement leads to increase in consumption of products, goods and brands of the country of origin.

An expected result is an alteration in consumer behaviour, leading to increased Italian brands and products’ consumption after the event.

Where we did it - Background Italian Week

In 2007, upon the request of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italian Week was specifically developed to dispel out dated stereotypes regarding Italy.

Designed to create a platform for cultural and social cohesion.

Between 1947 and 1976, over 360,000 Italians migrated to Australia (Rando, 2000).

In Queensland there are over 100,000 people of Italian origin. There are 27,000 Italian speakers, and 15,000 Italian Citizens in Queensland, one of the largest ethnic groups in the State (Arrighi, 1991).

Today, Italian culture is deeply rooted and strongly present in modern Australia (Pyke, 1948).

How we did it – Methodology/Method

The research was conducted in two phases, we first interviewed past participants of the Italian Week festival

Sample Group Qualitative - 12 informants who were asked to describe their feelings about Italy and Italian stimuli.

Quantitative study group - an online survey whereby a structured questionnaire was made available.

During the 2014 Italian Festival, 282 respondents completed the online questionnaire

The survey found that 62.87% of the respondents (177 People) had attended Italian Week in the past 8 years, which represented our final sample.

Of these, 56.98% of the respondents (101 people) answered to being of Italian origin.

The questionnaire was composed of 14 questions and was a mix of 12 multiple choice and 2 open ended questions.

Respondents were asked to provide information about products and services they purchased prior to attending Italian Week

The aggregation of the three types of identification:-

Social, cultural and self-identification are assembled as a unique form of identification in which all three of them merge.

(Multi-Dimensional ID) emerges as a result of emotional engagement which leads customers to alter their consumer behaviour.

Emotional engagement is strengthened by combining self, cultural and social identification.

This cycle of identification and emotional engagement created a deeper level of involvement with the Italian brands.

How we developed out construct.

What we learned – Findings

The festival, generates consumption of services more so than of products.

Participants lean more towards taking Italian language classes, planning trips to Italy, going more frequently to Italian restaurants and spending more time and money in Italian expressions of arts, such as opera, movies, and Italian exhibitions.

The results showed that people wanted to extend the experience by (1) Learn to speak Italian, (2) Travel to Italy, (3) Cook Italian food or learn to cook Italian Food, (4) Activities linked to art such as music, films, opera, and art exhibitions.

Consumers are involved in the environment of Italy and want to stay in that environment, after the festival.

The results indicated that consumption increased as a direct result of Italian Week, 52.97% answered; ‘yes I am now buying more Italian goods, services and brands as a result of attending Italian Week or seeing its promotional activities.”

We noticed a gap between answers

Brands like Merlo Coffee did not appear at all when respondents were asked to list Italian product purchases, yet over 100 people said that they now purchase Merlo Coffee as a result of Italian Week.

This was similarly true for brands like Vittoria Coffee and Di Bella Coffee.

Three possible explanations for this result are that

(1) The brands are not recognised as Italian, (2) The brands are not recallable, or (3) They became aware of the brands as a result of Italian Week.

What it means - Implications

Appeal and efficiency of its concept and the ability of Italian Week in stimulating consumption of services linked to Italy.

A positive country of origin effect which is profitable to companies, brands and services.

The emotional engagement created by Italian Week is conveyed in the relationship between customers and products and creates positive brand attitude.

As a result the whole industry that relates to Italy benefits from the effect of Italian Week on customers.

It not only increases awareness on brands but also creates desire for services like travel, language lessons, cooking classes, music and artistic performances.

There is an emotional engagement that transfers to the product or brand generated through the festival.

Among the most relevant variables were cultural, social and self-identification.

Despite the fact that literature in marketing describes them as three distinctive types of consumer identification, our findings led us to assemble the three of them into one Multi-Dimensional Identification because they influence consumers equally.

The ability of Italian Week to generate emotional engagement in such a way that consumers will search for products and services beyond the festival.

Italian Week is not what we could call a brand community but a service community instead.

Participants to the festival are attracted to the services they can enjoy during Italian Week through which they derive experiential meaning.

Emotional engagement increases consumption of Italian brands.

Strongly stimulated to extend the experience by consuming services.

Consumers seek experiences which will put them in the same fascinating Italian environment, such as:-

• planning trips to Italy, • learning Italian language, • giving priority to Italian restaurants and; • attending operas, movies about Italy and any other art

performances stemming from the Italian culture.

Attendees seek to feel the same emotion engaged during the festival.

Limitations of Study

The research is subject to some bias because of self-reporting,

Validity can be subjective for a number of reasons, participants may not tell the truth, give desired answers, exaggerate and respondents may have some confidentiality issues.

Respondents might not have paid special attention to their buying patterns changes year after year.

Combined qualitative & quantitative approaches reduces bias & adds rigor

The research is limited to and specific to one culture in one festival in one country.

Thank You – Questions ?

Arrighi, M. (1991). Italians in Australia: the literary experience: proceedings of the Conference on the Italians in Australia, the First 200 Years, held at the University of Wollongong and Macquarie University, 27-29 Aug. 1988 (Vol. 1988): University Dept. of Modern Languages.

Pyke, N. (1948). An outline history of Italian immigration into Australia. The Australian Quarterly, 20(3), 99-109.

Rando, G. (2000). Italo-Australiani and after: recent expressions of Italian Australian ethnicity and the migration experience. Altreitalie(20), 64-85.

Sapienza, P., Zingales, L., & Guiso, L. (2006). Does culture affect economic outcomes? : National Bureau of Economic Research.

Schembri, S., Merrilees, B., & Kristiansen, S. (2010). Brand consumption and narrative of the self. Psychology & Marketing, 27(6), 623-637.

Tajfel, H. (1979). Individuals and groups in social psychology*. British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 18(2), 183-190.