“Il linguaggio del lusso: strategie comunicative e percezione del brand. Analisi del comportamento di tre top players.”

This thesis investigates the gap between the values that luxury fashion brands seek to communicate and the values that consumers actually perceive. The study focuses on three top players in the international luxury fashion industry, Gucci, Dior and Prada, examining how each brand constructs and conveys its identity, and how a target audience of Gen-Z and Millennial consumers interprets and evaluates these efforts. The work opens with a theoretical framework about the key concepts of brand identity, brand equity, and communication strategy, followed by an overview of how the luxury industry is structured and how brands position themselves within it, including the role of major holding groups such as LVMH, Kering and Richemont. From this theoretical background, the study then analyses the intended values of the three brands under examined, with particular attention to their efforts in the areas of sustainability, social responsibility, and inclusion. The empirical component of the research draws on quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the perceived values held by a Gen-Z and Millennial audience, revealing the extent to which consumers, even those less familiar with the industry, fail to recognise the values that brands actively pursue and communicate through strategic investments, projects, and campaigns. The research draws on specialised academic literature, sector publications, and fashion magazines, alongside an empirical survey administered to a sample of Gen-Z and Millennial consumers.