Strategie di customer engagement. La sfida del coinvolgimento dei millennials nel wine business.

Objectives. The work proposes a theoretical model of customer engagement marketing designed for the wine business and for the generation group of the Millennials. Methodology. It is a conceptual model synthesized upon an analysis of the literature in the wine business and customer engagement marketing fields, with a specific focus on the target of the Millennials. Research limits. Since this is the original conceptualization of a theoretical model, the main limit is that it was not yet possible to submit it to any empirical verification. This element will be the subject of subsequent phases of the ongoing research program on the wine business. Practical implications. The main practical implications involve the companies of the wine-growing and wine-producing sector, with particular reference to the Italian ones, which, due to their dimension and governance structure, struggle to properly enhance their products on international markets and are often cornered into the price competition cage. Originality of the work. In the literature, no specific models of customer engagement marketing were found for the wine business and generation group of the Millennials. Hence this is to be considered a contribution of significant originality. Findings. The proposed model is divided into three layers. At the base there are the foundations: product quality and fair pricing; at an intermediate layer there are all the empowering tasks of customer contact employees; the top layer is composed by five levels of engagement at which center there is the wine tasting experience. The other levels are: actions aimed at creating a sense of belonging, actions aimed at implementing specific knowledge, information management actions (CRM) and those intended to identify the brand in terms of a specific life-style.

Obiettivi. Il lavoro propone un modello teorico di customer engagement marketing specifico per il wine business e per la coorte generazionale dei Millennials. Metodologia. Si tratta di un modello concettuale sintetizzato partendo dall’analisi della letteratura negli ambiti del wine business e del customer engagement marketing, con un approfondimento specifico sul target dei Millennials. Risultati. Il modello proposto è articolato su tre layers. Alla base vi sono le fondazioni: product quality e fair pricing; ad uno strato intermedio vi è tutta l’attività di empowering dei customer contact employees; lo strato superiore è composto da cinque livelli di engagement al cui centro vi è la wine tasting experience. Gli altri livelli sono: le azioni volte a creare un senso di appartenenza, le azioni volte ad implementare la conoscenza specifica, le azioni di gestione delle informazioni (CRM) e quelle tese a connotare la marca in termini di uno specifico life-style. Limiti della ricerca. Trattandosi della originale concettualizzazione di un modello teorico, il principale limite consiste nel fatto che non è stato ancora possibile sottoporlo ad alcuna verifica empirica. Elemento questo che sarà oggetto di fasi successive del programma di ricerca in corso sul wine business. Implicazioni pratiche. Le principali implicazioni pratiche concernono le imprese del comparto viti-vinicolo, con particolare riferimento a quelle italiane, che, per dimensioni e assetto di governance, faticano a valorizzare correttamente i loro prodotti sui mercati internazionali e vengono spesso strette all’angolo della price competition. Originalità del lavoro. Non sono stati ritrovati in letteratura specifici modelli di customer engagement marketing per il wine business e per la coorte generazionale dei Millennials. Si tratta dunque di un contributo di rilevante originalità. Goals. The work proposes a theoretical model of customer engagement marketing designed for the wine business and for the generation group of the Millennials. Methodology. It is a conceptual model synthesized upon an analysis of the literature in the wine business and customer engagement marketing fields, with a specific focus on the target of the Millennials. Findings. The proposed model is divided into three layers. At the base there are the foundations: product quality and fair pricing; at an intermediate layer there are all the empowering tasks of customer contact employees; the top layer is composed by five levels of engagement at which center there is the wine tasting experience. The other levels are: actions aimed at creating a sense of belonging, actions aimed at implementing specific knowledge, information management actions (CRM) and those intended to identify the brand in terms of a specific life-style. Research limits. Since this is the original conceptualization of a theoretical model, the main limit is that it was not yet possible to submit it to any empirical verification. This element will be the subject of subsequent phases of the ongoing research program on the wine business. Practical implications. The main practical implications involve the companies of the wine-growing and wine-producing sector, with particular reference to the Italian ones, which, due to their dimension and governance structure, struggle to properly enhance their products on international markets and are often cornered into the price competition cage. Originality of the work. In the literature, no specific models of customer engagement marketing were found for the wine business and generation group of the Millennials. Hence this is to be considered a contribution of significant originality.