Italian brand Barilla seeks to reposition itself on a global level, aiming to highlight the real meaning of preparing a dish for someone, via a global brand campaign signed by the agency Publicis Italy. The campaign will be launched in 40 countries, spreading the word that some hard-to-pronounce statements can be expressed through the kind act of preparing a dish of pasta for someone you care about. The initiative puts emotions at the center of the company’s communication, marking a new strategic path for the brand worldwide.
Through this campaign, Barilla aims to reach the hearts of consumers by showing them how a simple dish can carry more than just food within. Supported by a short video titled “A Sign of Love,” the brand highlights that, oftentimes, preparing a dish for someone who’s close to your heart can express more than care and attention. Sometimes, communicating feelings such as love or saying sorry can be hard, but not impossible: One can manifest their emotions through a plate of delicious pasta, making expressions such as “I love you,” “I missed you,” or “Sorry, it’s my fault” easier to convey.
The campaign brings classic family stories to the forefront, using a contemporary flavor to narrate them. The film introduces us to several families, each with its own particularities. “Barilla. A sign of love” is the new mantra and it is precisely such signs and gestures that allow the protagonists of the story to find each other, to communicate, and experience emotions that will strengthen their relationships.
Gianluca Di Tondo, Global Chief Marketing Officer at Barilla, said: “This new global brand position marks a historic moment for Barilla. The brand has managed to rediscover the classicism of its most iconic campaigns while adapting it perfectly to the challenges of our time. Today we all need to feel more human, closer, and a sign of love can make all the difference.”
Cristiana Boccassini, Chief Creative Officer at Publicis Italy, added: “It is a privilege to work with Barilla, one of the most loved and well-known Italian brands in the world, with an extraordinary history that continues to evolve, always leaving its mark. It is a love brand with which we feel we have a unique affinity in terms of values and growth path, and we are more than happy to support our client-facing a new exiting global challenge.”
The film is directed by Saverio Costanzo, known for having directed the Italian-American TV series “My Brilliant Friend” and for the film “The Solitude of Prime Numbers,” for which he was nominated for a David di Donatello Award. To strengthen the film’s emotional impact, Noa’s “Beautiful that Way” song was chosen, a reinterpretation of the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning movie “La Vita è Bella.”
The brand announced the strategic and creative partnership with Publicis Italy at a global level for the creation, data strategy, and production of communication in the pasta and ready-made sauces categories. The new brand strategic positioning will be visible in a new communication platform across all brand’s touchpoints — digital, social, OOH, and retail.
Credits:
Client: Barilla
Agency: Publicis Italy
Global Chief Creative Officer Publicis WW: Bruno Bertelli
CCO Publicis Italy: Cristiana Boccassini
Executive Creative Director: Riccardo Fregoso
Creative Director / Copywriter: Stefano Battistelli
Creative Director / Art Director: Marco Viganò
Associate Creative Director / Copywriter: Stefano Zanoni
Creative supervisor / Art Director: Roberto Ardigò
Art director: Giulia Di Filippo
Digital Art Director: Mattia Leporale
Digital Copywriter: Jacopo Trotta
Chief Strategy Officer: Bela Ziemann
Strategy Director: Monica Radulescu
Strategy Director: Ornella Ciot
Senior Digital Strategist: Margherita Tuvo
Global Client Service Director: David Pagnoni
Client Service Director: Federica Papetti
Account Supervisor: Alberto De Simone
Account Manager: Dario Gambera
Head of Social: Alessandro Bochicchio
Head of TV Production: Francesca Zazzera
TV Producer: Alessio Zazzera, Antonella Capella
Art Buyer: Caterina Collesano
BRW FILMLAND
Chairman: Marco Bussinello
Executive Producer: Luca Orlando
Head of Production: Claudio Cicoli
Production Manager: Cristina De Rossi
Production Coordinator: Daniela Fabrizio
Line Producer – Live action: Liza Fisher Foresi
Asst. Producer – Live action: Irene Rei
Line Producer – Food: Simona Ferraro
Production Manager – Food: Marco Fazio
MAIN CREW – Live Action
Director: Saverio Costanzo
DOP: Fabio Cianchetti
Set Designer: Luca Merlini
Set Decorator: Marcella Galeone
Stylist: Amelianna Loiacono
Ass Stylist: Gianluca Francese
Food Stylist: Francesca Alberoni
MAIN CREW – Food
Director/DOP: Luca Robecchi
VIDEO POST PRODUCTION
Tex s.r.l.
Post Production Supervisor: Nicola Scarpinato
Editor: Fabrizio Squeo, Stuart Greenwald
Flame Artist: Davide Maccagni, Jacopo Ardit
Colorist: Andrea Baracca – Daniel Pallucca
Exchanges Vfx s.r.l.
Vfx Supervisor: Marco Negri e Mirko de Angelis
Producer: Andrea Valeria Peri
Compositor:
Roberta Longo, Elena Iankov, Guido Tognoni. Paolo Gerosa
MUSIC
ROW
Title: Beautiful That Way
Authors: Nicola Piovani, Gil Dor, Achinoam Nini
Performer: Noa
Music Supervision and re-recording: Ferdinando Arnò – quiet, please!
Executive Producer: Alessandra Teatini – Luca Lo Tito
Licensing: quiet, please!
Publishing: Tentacoli Edizioni Musicali
ITA
Title: Hymne
Author: Evanghelos Papathanassiou
Re-Recording: Sizzer
Music Supervision: Michael Bertoldini
Executive Producer: Michiel Marsman
Publishing: Emi Music Publishing Ltd / Sony Music Publishing (Italy) Srl
Sound
Mix: Screenplay