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Seminari Understanding Consumer 2
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- Women as Consumers: In the US (1920s-post-WWII), women became key decision-makers ('Mrs. Consumer'), using consumption to build identity and lifestyle. The concept of 'scientific housekeeping' and the 'kitchen debate' further solidified this role. In post-WWII Italy, women faced a conflict between traditional roles and modern consumerism. Marketing efforts aimed to create the 'aware homemaker' ('casalinga consapevole'). The Barilla advertising evolution (from traditional Bettina to independent Mina) illustrates this shift, associating consumption with personal expression beyond mere duty.
- America Post WWII Context: Perceived as a land of abundance, democracy, and opportunity, with consumption seen as a civic duty to strengthen the nation ('Republic of Consumers'). New technologies (appliances, frozen foods) were heavily promoted, promising happiness and progress.
- Italian Context & Challenges: Italy was more economically backward than the US post-WWII, with lower incomes and opposition from the Church and Left to consumerism. Despite this, products like TV, refrigerators, and cars saw increasing penetration. Early advertising faced challenges convincing Italian women, who were anchored to tradition and confused by rapid changes. Marketing focused on legitimizing consumer goods as status symbols.
- The Vespa's Evolution: Initially conceived in 1947 by Enrico Piaggio as an economic, democratic, and egalitarian means of transport, symbolizing a 'citizenship good' for all Italians. By the mid-1960s, a legislative change and evolving youth culture led to a strategic shift. The Vespa became a symbol for young people (14-17 years old) representing independence, adventure, self-expression, and anti-conformism, breaking from traditional values (symbolized by the 'apple').
- Television as a Consumer Educator in Italy: Post-WWII, TV became the sole instrument for consumer education and played a vital role in constructing national and personal identity, creating shared symbols and a collective experience. 'Carosello' (1957-1977) was the only permitted form of advertising, using sketches with brand reveals at the end, effectively educating Italians about brands and driving the shift from necessity to luxury goods. Early TV viewing was often a collective social ritual (in bars, with friends), leading to a mix of social classes and generations, and introducing new behavioral codes. While intellectuals criticized TV for cultural homogenization, it was also seen as an opportunity for education and connecting Italians to the consumer society.
- TV vs. Cinema: TV replaced cinema as the primary mass entertainment. Cinema, in turn, became a tool for youth to form political and class consciousness, often with an 'eversive' (subversive) meaning against traditional values.