#Designgoeson: Designdiffusion.com talks with Silvia Gallotti, CEO Gallotti & Radice, about the new communication strategies that could originate from this difficult moment
What strategies have you developed to overcome such a challenging moment?
Silvia Gallotti: “It is very difficult to imagine how this situation will evolve; there are several factors to consider. In general, however, we can predict that it will be a very slow process, probably divided into several stages. Let’s get ready to get through some tough months, characterized by general uncertainty. To overcome difficulties with the least possible repercussions, Gallotti & Radice has developed two strategies, one for the short term and one for the medium to long term.
In the short term, we have already implemented several measures. First of all, we have extended smart working, which was previously available only for the sales department, to other departments. A very interesting result is that we are discovering a new way of working, which is proving to be successful and very productive. These days, we are working connected to a platform, and, all in all, the resulting exchange is indeed continuous and fruitful. We have managed to create a real team spirit, more than in team building meetings. New technologies also allow us to keep the relationship with all our partners in the world alive; we often exchange views with them to plan the various steps for the recovery, for when that time will come. And the new technologies also allow us to be active on social media, staying in contact with a wider audience.
Read also Home office for smart working
In the medium and long term, what are the possible scenarios?
In the medium and long term, we will have to come to terms with a year without the Salone del Mobile, definitively postponed until 13–18 April 2021. And this leads us to sail in uncharted waters because, for the first time in 30 years, there will be no Salone del Mobile di Milano. The absence of the Salone raises a big question about corporate communication strategies. Our usual production cycle has not stopped: we have developed new projects and we have worked to allow also the technical office to work remotely. Production is currently interrupted, but, as soon as we reopen, we will start making new products, and then our problem will be how to launch them and find alternatives to the Salone del Mobile.
Read also the other interviews with leading figures from the design world:
- #Designgoeson: How China is recovering
- Roberto Gavazzi and Boffi | De Padova
- Filippo Santambrogio, Viva Porte and China
- Massimiliano Messina and Flou, design and Covid-19
- Maurizio Riva: Riva 1920 and communication as a means to rise again
- Nicola Coropulis: Poltrona Frau and the future of Made in Italy design
- Giovanni Del Vecchio, Giorgetti: safeguarding the supply chain
- Alberto Lualdi and online communication to start anew
The Salone del Mobile and the digital world
Now that we know with certainty that the Salone del Mobile will not be held, I think that we could use this tough year to find new strategies and turn a difficult period into an occasion of professional growth. Communication will have to invent new ways, connected to the fact that we cannot move, and therefore heavily invest in new technologies. A digital platform hosting many companies, each with its own virtual presentation, could help obtain international visibility. It could not replace the Salone, but it would certainly help us present new products.
Going further, a digital platform for the Salone del Mobile could be interesting even during the “real” Milano Design Week, which we all hope will be bigger and more beautiful in 2021. However, there are many professionals, architects, interior designers, buyers, who are not always able to participate in the Salone del Mobile; a digital platform built in this way would offer the opportunity to share the most important lifestyle event in the world with an even wider audience compared to the 450,000 people who took part in the last edition.
To conclude, I hope that we can start anew as soon as possible and that these difficult months can become a stimulus to reinvent ourselves. For our part, we will invest a lot in new products and communication to be ready to seize opportunities for recovery as soon as possible.
Read also:
- #Designgoeson: How China is recovering
- Roberto Gavazzi and Boffi | De Padova
- Filippo Santambrogio, Viva Porte and China
- Massimiliano Messina and Flou, design and Covid-19
- Maurizio Riva: Riva 1920 and communication as a means to rise again
- Nicola Coropulis: Poltrona Frau and the future of Made in Italy design
- Giovanni Del Vecchio, Giorgetti: safeguarding the supply chain
- Alberto Lualdi and online communication to start anew
