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The 'four Ps' of marketing, it seems (product, price, place, promotion), are no longer enough to stimulate the curiosity of consumers and induce them to purchase, says the Italian online business journal Tgfin.it. That is leading an increasing number of companies to seek to strengthen their market presence by forming strategic alliances.

One company to have taken this route is the glass mosaic manufacturer Bisazza Mosaici. And with some success, given that sales have risen five-fold over the past five years and 20% in 2004 alone.

Mini Bisazza

  
One of Bisazza Mosaici's most high-profile link-ups, Tgfin.it says, has been with the BMW-owned car brand Mini.

"For the last Milan car show", sales director Marco Piscitelli tells the journal, "we covered four Mini models using our mosaics. The unique results attracted customers and the press alike, with incredible benefits for our image.

"We benefitted in terms of increased brand awareness in our traditional market and Mini was able to enter into the world of design, positioning itself as a brand in tune with the world of art".

The promotion led to a tour which saw the four Mini models appearing at car shows and in museums and festivals across the world and also attracted other brands to contact Bisazza with a view to cooperating in a similar fashion.

Cosmetics company L'Orčal Professional similarly chose to link with another brand to promote its beauty salons as areas where people could meet up, says Tgfin, transforming its centres into bars playing lively music and with drinks sponsored by Bacardi.

Another company to have developed a strategy of co-branding is Alessi, which currently exports its high-design apploances to around 60 countries worldwide. "Our ambition", Alberto Alessi tells Tgfin.it, "has been to bring into being new kinds of object, characterised by a mix of eccentricity, style and culture. New products need to be able to stimulate the imagination and senses of the public".

In seeking to achieve this, it has linked with Fiat to produce the Panda alessi car model, Tgfin says, and with Siemens for a special cordless phone. This Christmas, the company is aligning itself with the Slow Food Foundation with products designed to appeal not only to consumers passionate about good design, but also those who have strong interest in ethically- and organically-produced goods.

To read a longer version of this article, in Italian, click on the link below (left) to be taken to the corresponding page on the Tgfin.it website. Alternatively, click on the link below (right) to visit Bisazza Mosaici.