What led you to take on a position in marketing?
I graduated from Linguistic High School, then I attended the first year of IULM in Feltre. Afterwards I went on Erasmus for a year in England. Upon my return I started working as an intern in some communication agencies in the area. Then I undertook a course of study at Ca' Foscari in Venice, entering the world of fashion with GAS. After various work experiences I joined Diesel, moving into the PR and communications department. I then moved, after 7 years, to Safilo where I remained for 9 years, managing around 30 brands including Gucci and Dior. More than a year ago I joined AW LAB, taking over the entire marketing department.
What is your role in the company and who do you interact with the most?
Now I am Marketing Director of AW LAB and I coordinate a team of 11 people. I take care of the entire communication part both online and offline, of the stores and CRM as well as the relationships with our brand partners. I try to create a team where everyone is vertical in a specific role, offering specific skills and contributing to the work in synergy between colleagues. The goal is always to aim for both personal and work well-being: growing on both fronts is an unparalleled victory for me.
Which social network do you use with the most involvement and which one the least?
With my arrival in AW LAB, we decided to completely review the social strategy. Now each social network has its own precise identity and is aimed at a different target. Instagram, for example, works on the brand and allows us to talk to gen z and millennials, especially women (who make up more than 60% of our consumers): We have recently launched TikTok in which we will invest for 2024, creating increasingly engaging content and describing our stores and our store staff. On Facebook we are trying to give a more tactical approach by working on an audience of a more mature age who communicates and reads different content. For LinkedIn our goal this year is to talk about our company and how we work and live in AW LAB.
How important is brand reputation, is it important for AW LAB?
The definition of brand reputation is really very broad but I'll tell you what is really important for us at AW LAB: the attention to the customer from our in-store staff. In a recent market analysis we were defined as much more welcoming and friendly than our competitors and, also through our customer service, we were awarded by Corriere della Sera as among the 3 best online and offline customer services. Certainly also the brands and products we have in our stores including Nike, Adidas, Converse and Puma (almost 30 brands from the world of lifestyle and sportswear) have chosen AW LAB as an important retail partner for their visibility in Italy and Spain. Two other fundamental elements for us are the credibility and consistency of the brand. It's easy nowadays to talk about many things and promise many actions but being consistent with your values is fundamental for me. The consumer today is increasingly attentive to what the market offers but above all seeks sincerity and brands that are constant.
Have you thought about enlisting the help of professionals from the social world given the importance achieved by digital platforms and their management complexity?
When I joined AW LAB we chose to change the agency we relied on. I wanted to "separate" the services to rely on more vertical entities in their sector: those who help us in the social sphere do not help us on the PR side and so on. This allows us to have better quality in every aspect and to be able to draw from other ideas and other points of view. We therefore work with numerous companies, especially for the creation of content.
What are the future corporate communication projects?
At AW LAB we have many activities planned for 2024. For example, the openings of our new 4.0 stores, in particular the refit of Milan in via Torino in June, one of the most important stores we have together with the one in Barcelona. Projects such as play with music, initiatives and activities dedicated to women. The first, in March, is a campaign with adidas to celebrate women, always.