2005-07-12

The Piccolo Teatro of Milan: Theatre of Europe

The Piccolo Teatro of Milan, Italy, is one of the most prestigious theatre companies in the world. Founded in 1947, it offers a diversified and multidisciplinary program that includes over 650 performances a year in the Piccolo's three theatres. In addition to running an acting school, the Piccolo tours in over 40 countries.

The company, which has some 70 full-time and 150 part-time employees, is 55% self-financing. The Piccolo's marketing department has a strong customer focus. This is in keeping with management's aim of establishing a stable, long-term relationship with the theatre's audiences. The Piccolo is a good example of successful branding, scoring high on all five characteristics of a strong brand: customer loyalty, name awareness, perceived quality, brand association and identity, and proprietary assets. The Piccolo recently launched an Internet site that it regards as a kind of fourth theatre; because of its Eurolab project, the Piccolo Teatro can now be accessed virtually as well as physically.

source: http://www.hec.ca/ijam/736.htm

an article by François Colbert in: International Journal of Arts Management (Spring 2005)