Introduzione: Il marketing dei prodotti di lusso "Made in Puglia" attraverso l'inglese 'lingua franca'

This volume is the result of a research project – carried out at the University of Salento with the contribution of the Cassa di Risparmio di Puglia Foundation – which aims to develop a series of studies to guide companies in strategic sectors of the Puglia economy (e.g. tourism, fashion, and alimentary products,) in the communication of their excellence internationally through the use of English as a 'lingua franca' for the promotion of luxury goods, highlighting their sustainability and appealing to consumer emotions. The justification for the research is that, in order to compete in the new global market, luxury companies need to offer quality products aimed at redefining the very idea of 'luxury', no longer considering it as the conspicuous display of the possessor’s wealth, but rather as the achievement of psycho-physical well-being on the part of the user. The studies presented in the chapters of the volume show how the re-semanticization of the concept of luxury can be brought about by developing internationally "Made in Puglia" brands through the elaboration of theoretical-application models that provide specific communicational mechanisms of luxury which are able to engage emotionally the consumer through pragmatic-discursive strategies. Such strategies should take into account the native language and socio-cultural specificities of consumers by transferring them to the use of English as a "lingua franca" used in international communication between people who are not native speakers, including through new and innovative media. The use of the English language for promotional, advertising and marketing communications is therefore central to the persuasion process of groups of potential consumers from different linguistic-cultural backgrounds. This implies that the linguistic and communicative language features of the English language in the development of new textual, discursive and persuasive strategies, will be modulated on new international (even technological) scenarios, for accessible and acceptable communication with the target consumer through interaction on the socio-cultural, pragmatic and cognitive levels between the business-senders and recipients. The ultimate goal of the volume is therefore to offer scientifically original contributions which not only attest to the current state of the research in this field, but which will also be accessible to a readership of professionals in the field of the marketing of 'Made in Puglia' luxury goods.