Inspiration trip to Milan: Upper Austria's entrepreneurs discover style

Inspiration trip to Milan: Upper Austria's entrepreneurs discover style

Lombardy, with Milan as its vibrant capital, is not only an economic powerhouse in Italy, but has also established itself as an important partner for Austria. According to Christoph Plank, the WKÖ economic delegate in Italy, in 2023 almost 30 percent of all Austrian exports to Italy flowed into this northern Italian region. Milan is not only perceived as an industrial location, but also as an internationally celebrated center for fashion and design that offers its visitors a distinctive flair.

Recently, around 25 entrepreneurs from Upper Austria who work in the communications and media industry association visited Milan to find out the secret behind the impressive marketing and success of the companies based there. As you explore the city, you can see that the business landscape in Milan is characterized by a variety of impressive companies that combine both tradition and innovation. Companies such as Campari, Scala and Pirelli are distinguished not only by their long history, but also by their ability to adapt to modern market requirements and pursue innovative marketing strategies.

Marketing in Milan: A masterpiece

Particularly noteworthy is the involvement of prominent personalities and the use of social media in the marketing strategies of these companies. Alberto Ponchio, Senior Director of Marketing at Campari Group, explains that the content distributed by influencers and artists on social media gives companies a huge marketing advantage. Advertising costs often seem secondary in Milan, and spectacular events are common practice to promote brands and encourage audience engagement.

Another example of advanced marketing is the outdoor advertising company IGPDecaux, which is a leader in outdoor communications in Italy. The company creates attractive advertising spaces and uses impressively large and data-based analyzes to optimally design the advertising spaces. This shows how important innovation is in today's marketing sector and how such strategies can significantly improve the cityscape and the perception of brands.

Upper Austria in comparison

The participants of the study trip agreed: Milan impresses with a mixture of style, tradition and creative ideas. Markus Kaiser-Mühlecker, a film producer from Kematen an der Krems, noted that Milan is somewhat similar to the German Munich in terms of size and economic importance. The inspiration that the group was able to draw from this trip was diverse and stimulating.

Günther Matern, graphic designer and managing director of Matern Creativbüro, explained that despite the differences between the companies in Italy and Austria, the trip also shows similarities, especially the challenges that the companies face. Even though advertising budgets are often larger in Milan, the fundamental challenges in the creative sector are universal. Thomas Oberngruber, managing director of the industry association, emphasizes that the creative scene in Upper Austria is smaller, but still has the heart and ability to not only keep up with international comparison, but also to assert itself.

The study trip was not only perceived as a source of inspiration, but also offered valuable opportunities for networking with other Upper Austrian industry colleagues. Verena Hahn-Oberthaler, owner of the “rubicom” agency in Linz, emphasized how valuable the connections to other creatives were during the trip. The impressions and experiences collected from Milan should serve as fertile ground for future projects and ideas in Upper Austria.