STRATEGIZING by Emanuele Sacerdote. An important part of contemporary consumerism is the search for emotional dividends which, in my opinion, are transversal to Maslow's pyramid of needs. Globalization, post-industrial capitalism, the knowledge economy and intellectual property, but also the search for true authenticity, have brought out the value and importance of emotional dividends. If economic dividends are the part of the profits that are distributed by the company to the shareholder, emotional dividends are the intangible and reputational profits that derive from the possession of a movable or immovable object of authentic value. Economic dividends refer to capital income, while emotional dividends refer to intangible assets and the intangible sphere. Both the economic and the emotional dividend are aimed at possession and ownership, therefore various aspects of conservation and transfer of the object itself to those entitled or to other entities follow. The idea of enjoying emotional dividends has become an essential research to understand the essence and scope of some decisions. What I mean is that the search for satisfaction from emotional dividends guides consumption choices and purchasing decisions by favoring one product over another or a brand over another: the choice can be both hedonistic and functional, but the important is that there is a dividend release. I am convinced that the theme of inheritance is also found at the roots of the value of the emotional dividend, i.e. the transfer of ownership to those entitled or to others in a broad sense: in this way the transfer takes on a value, cultural and social meaning which increases the extent of durability, longevity and sharing.
The willingness and desire to leave something to someone is based on a healthy principle of restitution and continuity. If we imagine the nature of trusts, foundations or more simply museums (private or public) we find an evident and pulsating purpose of continuity over time and of restitution to successive generations. Article 2a of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on the value of cultural heritage for society. Faro, 27.10.2005 states this principle very clearly: “Cultural heritage is a set of resources inherited from the past that populations identify, regardless of who owns them, as a reflection and expression of their constantly evolving values, beliefs, knowledge and traditions. It includes all aspects of the environment which are the result of the interaction over time between populations and places”. I trust that the search for good emotional dividends remains in our values with a pro-cultural spirit, exactly as Vincent van Gogh stated: “let's not forget that emotions are the great captains of our life and that we obey them without knowing it”.
All the Best!
