Italian Prosecco Brand and Consumer Perception: An Explorative Analysis

Branding, especially in the food and beverage industry, can be an effective tool for building awareness and recognition of product differentiation among consumers. This especially concerns Prosecco, one of the most successful sparkling wine stories in the world, where branding can represent the solution for building a consistent image of quality, on which companies could maintain and nourish a sustainable competitive advantage throughout the years. The primary purpose of this research is to examine consumer perception in relation to Italian Prosecco and its brand. This is to be interpreted as a complex overlap of different elements: corporate brands, brand names, territorial brands and wine varietal. The assumption underlying this analysis refers to the fact that consumers are generally disorientated when it comes to recognizing what actually characterizes Prosecco as a brand - being a concept constituted by a multitude of producer and origin-related factors. Following this research, the most appropriate paths companies can explore in terms of strategies and branding techniques will be introduced.