HISTORY OF BRANDING

Through historical case studies and theoretical contributions, the course provides students with a basic knowledge of the origins and evolution of the concept of brand and of the ways in which firms have used it over time. The course contributes to the degree programme by offering tools to understand the brand as a strategic, cultural and competitive resource.
The aim of the course is to show how business history and marketing history can be used to understand the construction, valorization and management of brands. More specifically, the course provides theoretical and practical tools to understand the value of brands and the main branding strategies; identify successful and unsuccessful branding strategies adopted by firms; and analyze, communicate and manage brand-related information, assets and values, also through the strategic use of the past and corporate heritage.

At the end of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge and understanding
1. understand the origins and evolution of the main concepts related to brand history, from the perspective of business history and marketing history;
2. understand how business history and marketing history can be used as tools to analyze the construction, transformation and management of brands;
3. explain, through examples and historical case studies, the strategies used by firms to build, protect, communicate and transform their brands in different historical periods, markets and industrial sectors;
4. recognize the difference between trademark and brand, distinguishing between the legal protection of the mark, brand identity, reputation, narrative and symbolic value;
5. identify heritage brands and understand the main strategies through which firms valorize their past, traditions and historical heritage.
Applying knowledge and understanding
1. identify tools and methods useful for analyzing and valorizing brand history and the strategic use of the past by firms;
2. critically assess the main studies and theories related to brand history, marketing history and heritage marketing;
3. use basic qualitative tools for research in the history of marketing, management and business;
4. critically analyze corporate narratives and different forms of storytelling related to the history, identity and past of brands.

A good knowledge of English is required, together with the ability to read, understand and summarize academic texts in English. Admission to the degree programme presupposes a B2 level of English. The course includes compulsory readings in English.

The complete syllabus, including readings and teaching materials, will be available on the course Moodle page. Visits to or meetings with corporate museums and professionals in the field may be included.
Week 1 — Brands, history and heritage marketing
The first week introduces the course, its aims and working methods. Lectures discuss what a brand is and how it can be studied from a historical perspective, distinguishing between mark, trademark and brand. The concept of heritage marketing will also be introduced, with attention to how a brand’s past can become a strategic resource for firms.
Week 2 — Heritage marketing, storytelling and uses of the past
The second week explores the strategic use of the past in branding strategies. Lectures will discuss storytelling strategies and the role of corporate museums, business archives and foundations in the valorization of corporate history. The differences between heritage brands, brands with heritage and other forms of corporate narratives of the past will also be analyzed.
Week 3 — Origins, transformation and internationalization of brands
The third week is devoted to the historical origins of branding, the emergence of strong and recognizable brands, and the processes through which brands survive, renew themselves and internationalize. The strategies of firms such as Wedgwood, Coca-Cola, Shell and General Motors will be discussed, together with the emergence of global brands from the 1980s onwards and the growing importance of authenticity and longevity in branding strategies.
Week 4 — Brands, national competitiveness and national traditions
The fourth week analyzes the relationship between brands, national identity and competitiveness. Lectures will discuss how the image of a country interacts with product and corporate brands, with special attention to Made in, design and fashion. Case studies concerning the collective construction of national and market meanings will be analyzed.
Week 5 — Group presentations and exam preparation
The fifth week will be devoted to the presentation and discussion of group projects, comparison of the case studies analyzed, and exam preparation. Instructions for the project work and the materials required for the exam will be communicated during the course and made available on Moodle.

Articles and teaching materials for the course will be available on the course Moodle page. The complete reading syllabus will be communicated at the beginning of the course and made available on Moodle.

The main readings and case studies include:
Carlo Marco Belfanti, “Imitare, copiare e contraffare per competere nell’Europa preindustriale”, in M. Belfanti, a cura di, Contraffazione e cambiamento economico. Marche, imprese, consumatori, Egea, 2012.
Teresa da Silva Lopes and Mark Casson, “Entrepreneurship and the Development of Global Brands”, Business History Review, 81, 2007, pp. 651-680.
Pierre-Yves Donzé and Ben Wubs, “Storytelling and the Making of a Global Luxury Fashion Brand: Christian Dior”, International Journal of Fashion Studies, 6(1), 2019, pp. 83-102.
Per H. Hansen, “Cobranding Product and Denmark in the US, 1940-1970”, in Teresa da Silva Lopes and Paul Duguid, eds., Trademarks, Brands and Competitiveness, Routledge, 2010, pp. 77-101.
Michael Heller, “Corporate Brand Building: Shell-Mex Ltd in the Interwar Period”, in Teresa da Silva Lopes and Paul Duguid, eds., Trademarks, Brands and Competitiveness, Routledge, 2010, pp. 194-212.
Roland Marchand, “The Corporation Nobody Knew: Bruce Barton, Alfred Sloan, and the Founding of the General Motors ‘Family’”, Business History Review, 65(4), 1991, pp. 825-875.
Valeria Pinchera and Diego Rinallo, “The Emergence of Italy as a Fashion Country: Nation Branding and Collective Meaning Creation at Florence’s Fashion Shows (1951-1965)”, Business History, 62(1), 2020, pp. 151-178.
Matt Urde, Stephen A. Greyser and John T. Balmer, Corporate Brands with a Heritage, Working Paper No. 07/18, July 2007.
Mira Wilkins, “The Neglected Intangible Asset: The Influence of the Trade Mark on the Rise of the Modern Corporation”, Business History, 34(1), 1992, pp. 66-95.
Daniela Pirani, “Invented Market Traditions: The Marketing of Italian Breakfast (1973-1996)”, Business History, 2022.
Angelo Riviezzo, Antonella Garofano and Maria Rosaria Napolitano, Corporate Heritage Marketing: Using the Past as a Strategic Asset, Routledge, 2021.

Instructions for the project work and the materials required for the exam will be communicated during the course and made available on the Moodle page.
Students may choose between two alternative assessment methods:
Project work + oral exam
The project work accounts for 30% of the final grade, while the oral exam accounts for the remaining 70%.
Oral exam
Alternatively, assessment may be based entirely on the oral exam, accounting for 100% of the final grade.
Students may take part in the project work only if they inform the instructor by the beginning of the second week of the course and if they hand it on time.

written

The instructor is responsible for ensuring the authenticity and originality of all examinations and coursework. In cases of suspected academic misconduct, an additional on-site assessment may be required during the exams, which may differ from the standard format.

With regard to grading (mode by which marks are awarded), whether present or absent:
A. Marks in the range 18-22 will be awarded where:
- sufficient knowledge and ability of applied understanding with reference to the syllabus; - limited ability to collect and/or interpret data and to exercise independent judgement; - sufficient communication skills, particularly in relation to the use of specific economic history language; B. Marks in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of
- adequate knowledge and ability of applied understanding with reference to the syllabus; - adequate ability to collect and/or interpret data, exercising independent judgement; - adequate communication skills, particularly in relation to the use of specific language relating to economic history; C. Marks in Bands 27-30 will be awarded in the presence of
- good or excellent knowledge and applied understanding in relation to the syllabus; - good or excellent ability to collect and/or interpret data, exercising independent judgement; - fully adequate communication skills, particularly in relation to the use of specific language relating to economic history.
D. honours will be awarded in the presence of knowledge and applied understanding with reference to the syllabus, judgement and communication skills, excellent.

he course combines lectures, micro-teaching and guided discussions of case studies. Lectures introduce the main theoretical and historical concepts related to brand history, marketing history and heritage marketing. Micro-teaching and case-study discussions allow students to apply the concepts learned to the analysis of concrete historical and business examples.
The course also includes student presentations and group work, aimed at developing critical analysis, argumentation, communication skills and the ability to apply theoretical tools to the study of brands and their strategies.

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Cities, infrastructure and social capital" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development