Putting the Italians on bicycles: marketing at Bianchi, 1885-1955

Abstract

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine marketing practices within the bicycle industry. Design/methodology/approach – The paper utilizes both primary and secondary sources to provide a retrospective analysis of marketing strategy at the largest Italian bicycle company. Findings – The paper explains how marketing works at the Bianchi company and provides a detailed analysis of how it built its brand identity over time. Research limitations/implications – Very few primary sources were available. There was neither a company archive nor other archives. For the most part, the paper is based on secondary sources. Originality/value – The paper tries to fill the gap in current marketing literature that usually neglects the bicycle as a relevant topic, despite bicycle companies being a predecessor to the automobile industry. Moreover, the paper demonstrates that bicycle companies developed a rather sophisticated approach to marketing that is still in use.