Pesaro, Italy
Here=s my report from Italy, I=m there at the moment. Oh don=t worry I=m not going to attempt a political or economic analysis of all the
things that might be wrong with Italy. I wouldn=t have the patience for the task. And nobody understands it anyway.
The difference appeared to me many years ago, in
Venice - in a hardware shop of all places. Looking around at all the pots and
pans, plates and tools, it struck me. Everything in it had been designed. Every
saucepan had elegant lines, every pot was a work of art. The shovels had a
style and flow - this was art, expressing itself in the commonest of items.
Walking from the shop I explored the revelation
further. Of course I was in the most beautiful city on earth, which set a high
bench mark. But looking at the ordinary items was where the proof came out. You=ll still see it today, even though Chinese mass manufacture and American
dag culture have wreaked their damage, as everywhere.
But there=s still an Italianness that
overcomes the modern mass-market world, not to mention the copyists and
forgers. The world=s markets might display a
million copies of Armani dresses or Gucci handbags; the latest cars may borrow
the slickness and sleekness of a Ferrari or Lamborghini. But those who own the
real thing know it, and those who see them know it too. There=s no mistaking a real Gucci person for a fake.
Taking a look at our own world, I wonder - what=s the element that=s missing in our goods that
multiplies the value of an item far beyond its raw material costs?
It always starts at the point of design. At the
thought and artistry that went into the original conception. You can buy a
perfectly good leather handbag for $100, so why do the wealthy put their names
on waiting lists to buy a Gucci for $3000?
In Australia we have plenty of fine rare
products that the world wants. The problem is they are mostly commodities with
no premium for where they come from or whose hands they passed through. There=s no bonus in AAustralian iron ore@ or even AAustralian gold@. The one resource I can think of that has created a niche is the
distinctive Argyle pink diamond. And this is thanks to nature more than to
marketing.
How can a marketer make being Australian a badge
worth paying more for?
After years of work and dedication some of our
top wines have earned the distinction, in the cellars and fine restaurants of
London and New York. But there are precious few other areas that have pulled
themselves out of the pack.
Our best movies are now being identified, and
sought after, as AAustralian movies@, something that has taken a long road, proving to the world that we
have the ability and talent to produce excellence.
Europe will still have rocky times ahead and Italy will no doubt suffer more crisis and pain before its economy fully recovers.
But you certainly don=t notice the troubles the way you would in Greece or Spain, there are no
riots and street barricades, yet. Here life is as sunny and energetic as ever.
They know that so long as the words Amade in Italy@ still have the power to
reassure consumers of distinctive style and quality, that they are the creators
of fashion and flair; whatever way the world turns, in the end they will always
survive.
ray@ebeatty.com;
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