Generali Project “Nel tempo di una storia”: When Investing in Culture Pays Off
17 December 2021
Unorthodox policies for exacting clients, imaginative cups for refined palates, wellies for dancing in the rain and stylish heels for evenings of elegance and much more besides. Objects, documents, images and personal testimonies: a unique treasure trove, an expression of culture, creativity and made-in-Italy ingenuity, and of the values inherent in our country’s manufacturing and entrepreneurial history. This is what lies at the heart of the award-winning new project by Museimpresa and Assolombarda, “Nel tempo di una storia” (In Days Gone By) (#NelTempoDiUnaStoria), which received recognition in the digital transformation and educational/training category at the Best Event Awards 2021. The project was rewarded for its novel approach to reaching out to younger generations through online languages and digital tools, for its educational goal of imparting values to young people and for its emphasis on the identity of Italian manufacturing.
Throughout 2021, Brahmino – aka Simone Bramante, among the most popular international photographers on Instagram – shared the industrial and cultural heritage of Italy through his blog, “What Italy Is”. This heritage has been bequeathed to and preserved by corporate museums and archives associated with Museimpresa as well as many companies affiliated to Assolombarda. The project is a whirlwind adventure, with over a hundred locations throughout the length and breadth of the country coming together to create an unmissable guide to the jewels of our country: it has made museums and archives into Millennial tourist destinations, engaging followers in a digital project of “participatory culture”.
“This is a period of great upheaval. We are committed to using content and language that appeals to younger generations. “Nel tempo di una storia” seeks to introduce them to the work and the values that guide corporate museums and archives, vibrant community hubs where creative and polytechnic culture, beauty and art come together” says the president of Museimpresa, Antonio Calabrò. “It is vital for young people to learn about the entrepreneurial history of our country: this is the only way for them to understand how society has evolved and to equip them with the tools to interpret and navigate through the impending social and economic transformations.”
It is a way of telling this story via Instagram that centres the unique trove of knowledge, experience and business initiatives that has enabled Italian industry to tackle the challenges of the present and to help shape the future of its local communities.
Generali is an enthusiastic participant in this project, and has provided one of the most iconic pieces from its own historical archive in Trieste: the hail charts created for the 1884 Italian General Exposition in Turin.
Watercolour pie charts divided into slices that represent agricultural crops, hail damage and its distribution over the years: these are the fruits of a painstaking and meticulous data gathering process on hail events by Italian Generali agents. These charts were a valuable statistical measure to protect the agriculture sector, one of the pillars of the Italian economy (more info here). Generali was also able to tackle the challenge of attracting increased interest in corporate culture among younger generations by using social media to tell the stories of women and men who personified the values of innovation, openness, resilience and corporate responsibility.
Generali took the occasion of its 190th anniversary to launch the social project “Generali Life Stories: Extraordinary Tales of Ordinary Lives”, bringing to life documents, photographs and other objects from its cultural heritage through an innovative storytelling approach that incorporates audio segments, infographics and fine-art photography, in addition to the detailed historical records.