Discovering the Power of Digital Communication, Even in B2B: The Corporate Visit to Emilgroup

23 May 2024

Corporate visits are one of the strengths of the Professional Master in Digital Marketing and Communication at Bologna Business School. Through these visits, students have the opportunity to engage with leading companies like Emilgroup, a leader in the ceramics sector. Laura Gucciardo, a participant in the Master, shared her impressions and insights gained from this visit, which allowed her to see B2B digital marketing strategies studied in the classroom in action. She discovered that these strategies are essential for standing out in a highly competitive sector.

“Emilgroup believes in the power of communication.” This was the first thing that came to my mind at the end of the company visit,” said Laura Gucciardo. “Several elements of their communication impressed me, from digital marketing campaigns to the opening of their TikTok channel, to the importance given to brand identity and storytelling.” The choice of a contemporary and dynamic channel like TikTok, a rather bold marketing move for a B2B, offered visiting students a particularly useful insight into the necessity of differentiation. “By opening a TikTok channel, Emilgroup did something unprecedented in the ceramics sector, differentiating itself from competitors and increasing what are known in marketing as ‘points of difference‘,” explained Laura, who also highlighted how there are many ‘points of parity’ in the ceramics sector. “Through this marketing choice, Emilgroup no longer addresses only retailers or industry professionals, but also everyone who loves design, beauty, art, and creativity.”

Another fundamental element of brand identity that did not go unnoticed was the brand’s claim: “Beauty will save the world.” “This phrase, which we see written on Emilgroup notebooks, bags, and pens, encapsulates the brand’s identity,” said Gucciardo. “A clear, strong, and defined positioning.”

Thanks to the lesson given by Emilgroup’s communication manager, Giorgia Gallaro, the students were able to grasp the importance of creating unique projects to support their brand identity. But not only that, one of the strongest insights from this company visit is the necessity of knowing the product in depth to be able to communicate it effectively. “At the company, they showed us the entire production process that accompanies the creation of ceramics. The most important lesson I took home? Only by knowing the nature of the product can you value it and communicate it most effectively.”

Understanding B2B dynamics also involved analyzing concrete projects: “Even though, as we have seen, Emilgroup has started to expand its target, the main recipients remain architects and designers. In this regard, a project I found very interesting is the Project Awards, an annual award given to interior projects realized using the brand’s collections. The event aims to promote and give visibility to industry professionals. The Project Awards are promoted on all of Emilgroup’s social channels, creating a community of people with similar interests. From this idea of community and the desire to put people at the center also comes EmilPeople, another project I found very effective and original for a B2B company. During the visit, we also felt part of the EmilPeople group, entering their corporate universe.”