Milieu and cultural heritage as a resource for digital marketing: Exploring web marketing strategies in the wine industry

In the current globalised world, the milieu can be a competitive advantage for companies rooted in their local production context, as is the case for the agri-food industry (Riviezzo et al., 2016; Sgroi et al., 2020). Effectively exploiting the relationship between a company, its environment and local assets can be a successful marketing strategy that can trigger a virtuous circle that benefits sustainable tourism development (Askegaard & Kjeldgaard, 2008; Napolitano & De Nisco, 2017). One fundamental tool for exploiting this potential is digital marketing (Marzo-Navarro & Pedraja-Iglesias, 2021). Within this framework, the present research investigates whether and how the wine industry in the Marche region (Italy) communicates its relationships with the milieu and cultural heritage on official websites. We developed a model to analyse the web marketing strategies adopted by 83 wineries belonging to a non-profit association whose main objective is the promotion of wine tourism. The model is structured in four sections: 1) corporate data, 2) content, 3) accessibility, 4) technical aspects. Starting with the gaps identified in the scientific literature on this topic, when we analysed the content dimension, we included information related to corporate and local cultural heritage, branding, and services and partnerships. The results show that the relationship between milieu and cultural heritage is not significantly communicated on the website, revealing much room for improvement. The evaluation model and the managerial implications could be applied to all companies in the agri-food sector and, more generally, in the made-in sector.