Gianluigi Zenti, President, Academia Barilla SpA - The Changing Consumer: Demanding but Predictable



Hartl / International Food and Agribusiness Management Review Volume 9, Issue 2, 2006

by the five-star Hotel de la Ville, a gastronomic library, a cinema complex, shops,
and restaurants.

The product line is designed for the high-end US market and is distributed mainly
through gourmet stores and fine restaurants. The product palette includes extra
virgin oils, balsamic vinegars, regional cheeses and cured meats. The product line is
being developed in conjunction with artisan producers across Italy. All products
bear DOP seals and the quality is assured by Academia Barilla members along with
chefs from particular regions, who are performing blind taste testes to select the
best producers.

Interview Notes

Usually it is said that consumer choice is getting more complex. Do you think this is
also true for Italian food in the US? Are Americans developing more differentiated
views about Italian food?

Gianluigi Zenti: The evolution of the consumer knowledge is tremendous. In the
beginning of the 90’s consumers considered “spaghetti and meatballs” as Italian
food, today more and more consumers know about regional Italian food. The
evolution is significant, however the consumers do not get enough information on
what is real Italian food, for instance what are the real recipes or how you should
drink certain wines.

The other big issue is that there are three components of a product: a physical, an
emotional, and an aspiration component. For instance in pasta, initially the
physical component was the most important. The evolution of food is that the
physical component becomes less, the emotional and aspiration component become
more important. It is predictable, but today it is harder to understand what
consumers are looking for. The things they are looking out for in a product can be
very different: are they looking for sustainability, authentic products, local or
environmental-friendly production? Thus, today it is not enough that a product just
tastes good; you have to consider all the emotional and aspiration aspects. As those
things are much more psychological and cultural related, you need to develop new
techniques to understand and serve consumer needs.

How, then, do you position your products in the US market? Do you meet the
emotional and aspiration aspect with authentic Italian feeling and lifestyle?

Gianluigi Zenti: We started with zero business in America ten years ago. Initially
we were selling pasta to Italian restaurants, which became the credible
spokesperson of Barilla. Then we went to the US supermarkets, where we have
today about 20 percent market share. We have promoted Italian food in America by
communicating with Italian music and Italian lifestyle. It was very successful,

© 2006 International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IAMA). All rights reserved.

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