Positioning, communicating and perceiving a brand abroad : company and consumer´s perspectives of Barilla in Sweden

Problem: How do Barilla position and communicate its brand in the Swedish market and how do Swedish consumers recognize the Company’s positioning? Do they perceive the Brand in line with the intended positioning? Purpose: Investigating in which way and to which extents Barilla achieves and communicates a suitable positioning in the Swedish market. On the other hand, assessing how consumers and potential customers perceive the brand Barilla, evaluating if they perceive it in line with its intended positioning. Method: The research is mainly based on primary data: the Company´s perspective through a personal interview with Barilla´s brand manager; the consumers´ perspectives through 300 questionnaires distributed outside ICA Maxi in Hälla (Västerås). Theories: Brand equity; Brand positioning; Promotional mix. Conclusions: Barilla pursues a suitable positioning in Sweden, positioning itself on attributes which are valuable, and sought by customers. Consumers´ perception of the intended positioning is generally correct, since the main aspects which the Company focused on are commonly identified and considered familiar by the publi