Digital AgriFood – Conversazioni online e Big Data per lo sviluppo della comunicazione strategica e progettuale del sistema produttivo marchigiano. Abstract.

In this third and final year of my PhD I have been analysing a pathway to a degree, I found myself dealing with an extremely broad subject, so my whole project had to include multiple levels of study. That could give me a much broader view of the sector under analysis. The agri food s ector encompasses an incredibly long supply chain that goes from the birth of a product to its arrival on our tables, with a series of skills, relationships, that need to be analysed before engaging in any kind of conversation. Being a very wide compartmen t, I tried to have a point of view on everything that could influence the growth of a sector, so I had to analyse all the facets and points of view on the subject. The construction of a concept map helped me to divide the sectors to be analysed and to be a ble to enclose the various visions on the given field. I created a whole series of complementary links around the agri food macro sector: consumers; society; agriculture; technology; industry; competition and finally communication. My course had to analys e the regional system in the Marche region, so I tried to gather as much information as possible on those factors. Having to interface with a regional reality, I could not help but classify the agri food product as a cultural product, which is handed down and transmitted day after day, and at the heart of every cultural product there are people, and therefore consumers who engage in conversations that change medium over time and therefore have different methods of use in a path that takes us from oral tradi tion to entire sites dedicated to recipes that take on new forms day after day, from the recipe, to the use of images, to video recipes that are becoming increasingly popular. With the advent of today's network based technologies, customer behaviour has al so changed. This has created a new figure, the prosumer, i.e. an active consumer who produces content based on his or her experiences and is considered ' by other consumers, even guiding their purchases. Talking about people, one cannot help but e nd up talking about the Society in which we live and all the related values, which generate interest in the analysis of the entire production and consumption cycle of a given product, passing through the concepts of production, consumption, critical consum ption, value of a good, to arrive at conversations. Analysing the presence of the agri food product within the various mediums, whether they are offline, such as the pages of newspapers, or technological, such as the most modern newsletters, understanding the terrain in which these conversations take on an important connotation, having incredibly distant roots and being closely linked to tradition only reinforces the thesis that we must think of the agri food product as a cultural product. The agricultural system also has the same value, each territory has its own typical products, and this makes it the cultural product par excellence, but this brings us to the technological factor and presents us with two types of reality: "large companies" and "small and medium sized enterprises".enterprises". ThisThis subdivisionsubdivision allowedallowed meme toto analyseanalyse thethe differentdifferent categoriescategories throughthrough otherother factorsfactors suchsuch asas accessaccess toto technology,technology, sizesize ofof thethe company,company, naturalnatural product,product, industrialindustrial productproduct andand competition.competition. Analysing thethe technologytechnology currentlycurrently avaiavailable,lable, wewe realiserealise thatthat therethere areare incredibleincredible toolstools atat thethe serviceservice ofof ourour product,product, andand wewe shouldshould notnot underestimateunderestimate thethe logiclogic ofof hyperhyper--consumptionconsumption thatthat wewe areare usedused toto whenwhen wewe looklook atat thethe shelvesshelves ofof thethe largelarge--scalescale retailretail trade.trade. ThisThis undoubtedlyundoubtedly generatesgenerates anan iinn--depthdepth analysisanalysis ofof thethe raterate ofof industrialisationindustrialisation thatthat generatesgenerates productsproducts availableavailable inin anyany season,season, thethe principlesprinciples ofof globalisationglobalisation andand consumerismconsumerism thatthat increaseincrease competitivenesscompetitiveness butbut atat thethe samesame timetime provideprovide aa frameworkframework forfor updatingupdating methodologies.methodologies. A deeperdeeper aanalysisnalysis showsshows thatthat typicaltypical productsproducts areare veryvery presentpresent inin onlineonline conversations.conversations. ThisThis generatesgenerates competitioncompetition betweenbetween brandsbrands thatthat produceproduce thethe samesame productproduct category,category, soso itit isis impossibleimpossible notnot toto addressaddress thethe subjectsubject ofof communication,communication, itsits implicationsimplications andand allall thethe cocommunicationmmunication potentialpotential thatthat thisthis sectorsector offers.offers. TheThe competitioncompetition factorfactor isis veryvery importantimportant inin orderorder toto understandunderstand throughthrough comparisoncomparison whichwhich strategiesstrategies toto implement.implement. After thisthis excursusexcursus intointo thethe uncertainuncertain terrainterrain ofof thethe agriagri--foodfood sector,sector, itit isis essentialessential toto taketake aa closercloser looklook atat whatwhat thethe useuse ofof foodfood marketingmarketing couldcould bring,bring, oror rather,rather, toto putput orderorder intointo thethe "overloading""overloading" ofof informationinformation regardingregarding thethe agriagri--foodfood product.product. TheThe problemproblem thatthat isis evidentevident inin thethe researchresearch onon thethe agriagri--foodfood sectorsector isis thatthat thethe typicaltypical productproduct isis becomingbecoming moremore andand moremore importantimportant inin communication,communication, beingbeing presentpresent everywhere,everywhere, fromfrom televisiontelevision programmesprogrammes toto onlineonline reports,reports, butbut therethere isis nono bridgebridge connectingconnecting thisthis communicationcommunication toto thethe producers.producers. MoreMore andand moremore companiescompanies inin thethe agriagri--foodfood sectorsector areare keepingkeeping upup withwith thethe timestimes byby includingincluding aa communicationscommunications departmentdepartment inin thethe company'scompany's organisationorganisation chart.chart. ThisThis needneed hashas onlyonly becomebecome apparentapparent inin recentrecent yearsyears duedue toto thethe increasedincreased interestinterest ofof consumers,consumers, whowho areare becomingbecoming moremore astuteastute andand areare becomingbecoming betterbetter informed,informed, andand increasinglyincreasingly inin needneed ofof information,information, creatingcreating conversationsconversations thatthat putput themthem atat thethe centrecentre ofof attention.attention. TheThe consumerconsumer isis moremore attentiveattentive toto thethe traceability,traceability, thethe pathpath thatthat thethe typicaltypical productproduct takes,takes, thethe variousvarious stagesstages ofof production.production. AtAt thisthis pointpoint inin thethe projecprojectt wewe havehave toto analyseanalyse whichwhich technologiestechnologies areare helpinghelping producersproducers throughoutthroughout thethe supplysupply chain,chain, analyseanalyse howhow companiescompanies respondrespond toto thethe requestrequest forfor information,information, andand tracetrace thethe entireentire route,route, wewe havehave amongamong thethe variousvarious technologies:technologies: thethe useuse ofof artificialartificial intelligence,intelligence, hihi--techtech surveillancesurveillance systemssystems rangingranging fromfrom thethe useuse ofof dronesdrones toto thethe useuse ofof technologiestechnologies thatthat allowallow completecomplete traceability.traceability. The themetheme ofof mymy PhDPhD waswas focusedfocused onon whatwhat couldcould bebe thethe typicaltypical productproduct ofof thethe MarcheMarche region,region, highlightinghighlighting anyany criticalitiescriticalities toto bebe ableable ttoo dodo soso inin suchsuch aa difficultdifficult periodperiod asas thethe COVIDCOVID--1919 pandemicpandemic waswas veryvery complicatedcomplicated inin relationrelation toto fieldfield investigations,investigations, butbut allowedallowed meme toto bebe ableable toto studystudy fromfrom aa literatureliterature thatthat setssets footfoot inin variousvarious doctrines,doctrines, withwith endlessendless possibilitiespossibilities inin asas manymany areasareas ofof sstudy.tudy. Moreover,Moreover, thisthis periodperiod ofof "closure""closure" couldcould bebe saidsaid toto havehave helpedhelped aa systemsystem thatthat sawsaw itselfitself inin aa tighttight spot,spot, havinghaving thethe networknetwork asas itsits onlyonly meansmeans ofof keepingkeeping inin touchtouch withwith itsits users,users, thinkingthinking ofof thosethose companiescompanies thatthat untiluntil nownow havehave interfacedinterfaced withwith endend useusersrs throughthrough tradetrade fairsfairs andand events.events. Speaking ofof synergiessynergies andand thethe potentialpotential forfor growthgrowth ofof regionalregional realities,realities, thethe innovativeinnovative doctoraldoctoral projectproject deviseddevised byby thethe MarcheMarche Region,Region, toto representrepresent aa sector,sector, thethe agriagri--foodfood sector,sector, atat regionalregional level,level, throughthrough thethe establishestablishmentment ofof thethe MarcheMarche AgrifoodAgrifood ClusterCluster AssociationAssociation CLAM,CLAM, i.e.i.e. anan aggregationaggregation composedcomposed ofof thethe fourfour universitiesuniversities ofof thethe MarcheMarche RegionRegion (UNIVPM,(UNIVPM, UNICAM,UNICAM, UNIURB,UNIURB, UNIMC),UNIMC), researchresearch institutes,institutes, companiescompanies thatthat areare linkedlinked toto thethe worldworld ofof agriculture,agriculture, foodfood andand fishing,fishing, tradetrade associationsassociations andand serviceservice companiescompanies thatthat workwork togethertogether toto meetmeet thethe needsneeds ofof innovationinnovation inin thethe sector.sector. CompaniesCompanies andand professionalsprofessionals who,who, throughthrough thethe sharingsharing ofof experiencesexperiences andand skills,skills, supportsupport eacheach otherother toto makemake thethe sectorsector moremore prosperousprosperous andand affordableaffordable forfor everyone.everyone. ThisThis synergysynergy betweenbetween companies,companies, professionalsprofessionals andand consumersconsumers whowho interweaveinterweave onlineonline conversationsconversations cancan bebe fertilefertile groundground forfor anan analysisanalysis ofof socialsocial networks,networks, creatingcreating realreal virtualvirtual communitiescommunities thatthat exchangeexchange information,information, sharingsharing experiencesexperiences andand excexchanginghanging skills,skills, buildingbuilding togethertogether aa collaborationcollaboration ofof knowledge.knowledge. VariousVarious companiescompanies inin thethe areaarea willwill bebe analysed,analysed, butbut nationalnational casescases willwill alsoalso bebe takentaken intointo consideration,consideration, whichwhich cancan bebe aa forerunnerforerunner forfor aa pathpath ofof regulationregulation andand equalityequality ofof opportunity.opportunity. AtAt thithiss juncturejuncture thethe variousvarious denominationsdenominations thatthat cancan bebe attributedattributed toto foodfood willwill bebe analysed,analysed, whichwhich favourfavour thethe transmissiontransmission ofof thethe valuevalue ofof thethe territoryterritory andand thethe historicityhistoricity ofof thethe product.product. Having createdcreated aa processprocess ofof territorialterritorial identification,identification, wewe movemove onon toto thethe nextnext level,level, i.e.i.e. nationalnational identification,identification, aa topictopic onon whichwhich muchmuch hashas beenbeen saidsaid latelylately isis thethe identificationidentification andand growthgrowth ofof interestinterest inin MadeMade inin ItalyItaly productsproducts abroad,abroad, hypothesisinghypothesising andand researchingresearching somesome linkslinks onon MarcheMarche productsproducts inin thisthis fieldfield ofof study.study. TheThe experienceexperience abroadabroad envisagedenvisaged byby thethe PhDPhD wouldwould certainlycertainly havehave providedprovided meme withwith aa broaderbroader viewview ofof thethe agriagri--foodfood sectorsector withwith anan internationalinternational vision,vision, butbut unfortunatelyunfortunately duedue toto thethe pandemicpandemic II waswas unableunable toto studystudy inin depthdepth inin thethe field,field, butbut throughthrough pathspaths andand treattreatisesises inin thethe genre.genre. During thethe thirdthird yearyear II cancan saysay thatthat II waswas ableable toto getget toto knowknow aa sectorsector withwith infiniteinfinite facetsfacets thatthat hashas incredibleincredible potential,potential, andand manymany disparities,disparities, soso II wouldwould likelike toto drawdraw upup aa canvascanvas ofof possibilitiespossibilities andand professionalprofessional figuresfigures usefuluseful forfor thethe successsuccess ofof thethe projectproject throughthrough thethe meansmeans ofof agriagri--foodfood marketingmarketing andand itsits infiniteinfinite facets.facets. TheThe ideaidea ofof analyanalyssinging bothboth consumersconsumers andand companiescompanies providesprovides aa 360360°° viewview ofof aa sectorsector thatthat hashas onlyonly recentlyrecently beenbeen explodingexploding andand confirmingconfirming itselfitself asas thethe mostmost influeninfluentialtial inin termsterms ofof identity.identity. II hopehope withwith mymy projectproject toto bebe ableable toto outlineoutline aa modusmodus operandioperandi onon whatwhat everyevery companycompany shouldshould dodo toto keepkeep upup withwith thethe times,times, strategicallystrategically exploitingexploiting thethe existingexisting informationinformation circle,circle, interveningintervening inin conversations,conversations, citingciting somesome ofof thethe mmostost successfulsuccessful nationalnational andand internationalinternational onlineonline casescases ofof agriagri-foodfood companies.companies.