Minority languages and marketing: a resource for the region

Do minority languages help sell products, experiences, food and wine, and tourism? Several experiments in Italy and Europe suggest so: using local languages helps create a stronger connection with local consumers and attracts visitors interested in more authentic and immersive cultural experiences.

The recent restructuring of the Udine-Cividale line—where the transfer of management to RFI has (at least temporarily) eliminated visual multilingualism—and the new monolingual branding of the city of Udine have brought the issue of the relationship between marketing and language back to the attention of the Friulian public. Do bilingual signs and tourist gadgets in Friulian, in addition to respecting the community's linguistic rights, also have economic significance?

The topic will be discussed on Friday, July 18, at 6:00 p.m., in the Pasolini Room of the Regional Palace, located at Via Sabbadini 31 in Udine, during the public meeting "Linguistic Minorities, a Strategic Resource, Between Multiple Identities and Territorial Marketing," promoted by the Council Group of the Pact for Autonomy – Civica FVG, with Sandro Sillani, an expert in food marketing at the University of Friuli, and Linda Osti, professor of Tourism Management at Bangor University in Wales.

"We'll also discuss multinationals' growing interest in minority markets and languages, and Halen môr salt, which teaches us that an Atlantic saltworks can position itself as a top-of-the-line product thanks to communication that leverages the narrative of naturalness conveyed through the Welsh language," anticipates Stefania Garlatti-Costa, Udine City Councilor for Friulian Identity and Multilingualism, and a member of the Patto per l'Autonomia board, who will introduce the meeting. The closing remarks will be delivered by Massimo Moretuzzo, group leader of the Patto per l'Autonomia – Civica FVG.