Authors: Alessandro Zattoni, Jordana Rech, Graciano dos Santos
Abstract:Danone group operates in Italy through one legal entity, Danone Nutricia SpA Società Benefit, active on three categories of products: dairy and plant-based products, baby food and medical nutrition. In line with Danone’s vision “One Planet. One Health”, the corporate goal is to combine profit and purpose. Danone Italy’s main responsibility is to market and sell global and local products in Italy and Greece. Typically, the company develops local marketing campaigns or adapts global campaigns to the Italian setting (e.g., by identifying local partners and ambassadors), manages the distribution and sales of products, and nurtures good relationships with the local stakeholders. Danone Italy developed either new products (like Activia Kéfir) or innovative HR practices (like the parental policy) that have been later adopted by the Danone group. The leadership team of Danone Italy is striving to develop new business opportunities for helping the company to successfully combine Danone’s dual social and economic mission. However, satisfying these two company goals is a continuous struggle as it is not easy to predict (ex-ante) if the strategic plan or decisions will satisfactorily address the trade-off between profit and purpose. This trade-off concerns every aspect of the company, from the products to the marketing campaigns, from the HR practices to the selection and involvement of external partners.
