Advertising and Marketing in Italy

Make no mistake, with Italians, image is everything. They are the kings of creativity. Where a Brit might appreciate a clever use of words and a good punch line, Italian advertising

and marketing is focussed on design, a fabulous photo, a totally cool and beautiful model, the slickest of slick design. But this is juxtaposed with an almost childish sense of humour, a love of cartoons, slapstick and gadgets.

Figures show that Italians are now turning away from traditional advertising markets – print and tv - and investing more in online campaigns. But the love of images and worship of gadgetry and gimmicks sometimes leads to websites heavy on aesthetically pleasing content but slow to load and not always easy to navigate.

It can also lead to Premier Silvio Berlusconi’s recent and much criticised ‘Magic Italy’ campaign and logo, aimed at promoting the country overseas and which did not get the reception he expected. (There’s even a Facebook page called Magic Italy Go Home!)

The Italian Advertising Market

Whilst online advertising represents just 4% of the Italian advertising market it is continuing to storm ahead as other media flounder in its wake.

A newly released survey by Nielsen Media research for January – September 2009 showed total advertising spend in Italy was €5.9 billion, a fall of 16% compared to 2008. The biggest casualty was print media which was down almost a quarter, while spending on tv advertising fell by 13%. But while traditional markets fell, internet advertising continued its growth rising another 5.2% to €421.5 million.

Top Advertisers According to adbrands.net, Italy’s top advertisers in 2008 were:

• Telecom Italia Ferrero
• Fiat
• Vodaphone
• Wind
• Procter & Gamble
• Unilever
• L’Oreal
• PSA Peugeot Citroen
• Barilla

Online advertising

As one of the top ten online advertising markets in Europe, Italy’s growth in 2008 was just under 20% according to IAB Europe’s 2008 report. This was in line with the rest of Europe where the online market is worth €12.8 billion, with the top ten accounts worth 93% of sales.

Recognising the crisis in the print advertising industry and the value of the online advertising spend, two of Italy’s biggest newspaper groups, RCS Media Group (publishers of Corriera della Sera) and Gruppo Editoriale l’Espresso (publisher of La Repubblica), formed an online consortium in January of 2009. Called Premier Publisher Network it is claimed the consortium gives advertisers access to almost 40% of Italy’s online audience.

SMS Rules

Italians do not just access the internet using pcs or laptops. Four million use mobiles to connect online and check their email and another four million are getting ready to do the same, according to a report from ContactLab this October. This represents eight million potential advertising consumers. The country is the largest consumer group in Europe who wants to be permanently online using their mobiles and who have the technology to do so.

Let’s Put Our Heads On!

Angelo Lavagnino from innovative Tuscan advertising agency Milc comments exclusively to BEV: “The situation in the communications industry isn’t a simple one. Investment is down by 16% compared to the same period last year (see above source: Nielsen). The only area that is going against the trend and experiencing growth is the Internet. It’s here that there’s a glimmer of hope and communication professionals will have to use all their skills to try and reinvent themselves on the web and in doing so help rebuild faith in the industry as a whole … Communication has returned to its original strategic role, it’s no longer a shop window to decorate or clear out depending on the money available.”

Mica is the agency behind the creative campaign www.Mettiamocilatesta.it (Let’s put our heads on!) aimed at putting the faith and fire back into the advertising industry. The project began its tour of Italian universities on November 17 and plans to meet students - the future communication professionals - and discuss with them the importance of quality in the communications industry.

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