The luxury fashion is an important industry from both the economic and socio-cultural perspectives, since the high sales volume marks it as a crisis-proof sector, where the luxury fashion brands trigger specific cognitive, emotional, and behavioural effects on their end users. Yet, marketing and semiotics literatures still have to fully enquire into the use of multimodality in the production of advertisements. This paper explores this multimodal construction of print advertising of luxury brands, focusing on the semantic dimensions of “textual silence”. In particular, the qualitative analysis carried out by this study exemplifies how the choice between “offer” and “demand” images and their disposition as visual vectors are meant to activate specific interpretations and reactions by receivers, without resorting to written language. Besides the application of the theoretical background of multimodality to the luxury fashion industry, this paper has practical implications as well, for it develops a framework for the analysis of the advertising discourse which encompasses semiotic, linguistic and motivational aspects.

Obiettivi. Il turismo da crociera è un settore potenzialmente idoneo a rafforzare l’economia di un territorio avente vocazione turistica. Questo studio si è proposto di identificare i fattori che possono facilitare lo sviluppo di questo settore e le condizioni attraverso cui esso può apportare dei benefici all’economia locale. Metodologia. Sono state condotte venti interviste semi-strutturate nelle provincie di Brindisi e Lecce. Ogni intervista è stata registrata su supporto audio e trascritta in un momento successivo. Le trascrizioni sono state sottoposte ad un’analisi dei contenuti al fine di categorizzare le risposte ottenute. Risultati. È stato appurato che lo sviluppo simultaneo del turismo da crociera e dell’economia di una destinazione turistica è ricollegabile principalmente all’adeguamento infrastrutturale del territorio, alla creazione di alleanze pubblico-private tra gli operatori del settore, alla predisposizione di adeguate azioni di marketing territoriale. Limiti della ricerca. I risultati ottenuti possono essere limitatamente estesi ad altre destinazioni turistiche. Il campione esaminato, in particolare, dovrebbe essere ampliato ai responsabili di compagnie di crociera localizzati al di fuori dei confini nazionali. Implicazioni pratiche. Questo studio suggerisce che, per favorire lo sviluppo di un territorio tramite il turismo da crociera, gli operatori locali dovrebbero considerare gli investimenti in infrastrutture, i servizi turistici e le iniziative di marketing come una priorità. Le compagnie di crociera, dal canto loro, dovrebbero cooperare attivamente con le imprese e gli enti pubblici locali. Originalità del lavoro. Il presente studio ha esaminato un’area d’indagine fondamentalmente inesplorata a livello accademico e contribuisce alla letteratura sui sistemi territoriali locali e sul marketing territoriale.

This research investigates the role of a previously unexplored di- mension of electronic word-of-mouth (eWom) content – namely, the ex- tremeness of people’s opinions – in the context of conversations about controversial topics. Specifically, it examines the effect of opinion ex- tremeness on eWom likelihood, advancing the idea that such an effect is moderated by the online communication channel that people use for sharing. In particular, the authors propose that online communica- tion channels can be distinguished according to the level of social dis- approval that users risk when sharing (referred to as social risk). The main hypothesis is that consumers are more likely to share more ex- treme opinions about controversial topics when using online platforms that present low social risk, while such a difference is less likely to ap- pear on online platforms that present higher social risk. Three experi- mental studies – using email systems as an instance of risk-minimizing platforms and open posts on one’s social network pages as an instance of risk-amplifying platforms – provide empirical support for the pro- posed theoretical account.

Despite increasing interest towards luxury vintage products, companies often struggle to understand why consumers buy those products. This paper is aimed to advance knowledge about luxury vintage product consumption by identifying the latent determinants of Italian consumersʼ purchasing intentions for these products. The paper utilizes the means-end chain (MEC) approach and the laddering interview technique to achieve this goal. Results show that consumers buy luxury vintage products mainly to satisfy their individual identity, improve their self-confidence, and achieve a sense of fulfillment. The hierarchical value mapping resulting from the MEC analysis demonstrates that luxury vintage product consumption is undeniably aimed to improve consumersʼ perception of their desired and ideal individual self- image. The paper discusses the managerial implications of the study, along with its limitations and directions for future research.

How do social cues in the immediate environment affect older consumers’ tendency to feel younger? And what is the impact of this tendency on consumption? This research investigates the malleability of older consumers’ feel-age and the underlying mechanisms by focusing on the influence of contextual social cues and the downstream effects on consumption behavior. Five experiments provide evidence that the mere presence of young social cues triggers an identity threat for older consumers; and feeling younger is a way to protect the self from negative stereotypes associated with aging. By contrast, young consumers are relatively immune to age- related social cues. Whereas the presence of young social cues magnifies older consumers’ tendency to feel younger, this effect is attenuated when the young social cues are less desirable or when the older consumers possess higher self-esteem. The greater tendency to feel younger in the presence of young social cues increases older consumers’ choice of contemporary over traditional products, especially among those with lower self-esteem. Theoretical insights and practical implications are discussed.