Marketing Management

CASE STUDY 

In early 2004, Alberto Alessi, general manager of Alessi S.p.A the Italian, familyrun, kitchen and tableware factory famous for its playful and innovative design is absorbed about how to manage Alessi’s brand equity. Alberto needs to optimise a set of bjectives, subject to certain constraints. The objectives are: (1) To bring Alessi’s range to masses or in other words, how to enhance and build more luxury into their brand at very price point it offers; and (2) To find new typologies into which Alessi can expand.

The constraints are: (a) to sustain the aura of quality and innovation surrounding Alessi; (b) to provide Alessi’s designers with the opportunity to take risks and innovate, staying close to the borderline. The main objectives of the case are to grasp the key issues involved in managing brand equity and thus the focus is on various issues, faced by a luxury goods firm, like Chinese counterfeits, branding strategy problems, production planning problems and so on.

The case also provides various possible options such as 1) whether to engage the Chinese manufacturers 2) extending brand both lineand category wise 3) going for patenting actively 4) consider a change in the business model and so on. The case prepares a rich ground to discuss critical issues in the strategic brand management of fashion and luxury goods. In particular, it illustrates how Alessi has managed to grow, without losing its core identity and its customer value. It is also meant to evaluate Alessi’s brand strategy using the brand equity approach.

Answer the following question.

Q1. Suggest issues for strategic brand management, in the case.

Q2. How should brand equity be leveraged and protected in the face of various threats.