Barilla is repositioning itself with a global brand campaign from Publicis Italy that shows the true value of preparing a dish of pasta for someone: a sign of love to express what we cannot say with words.
Hard-to-pronounce statements like “I love you,” “I missed you” or “Sorry, it’s my fault” can be demonstrated with a dish of pasta.
The new campaign will be launched in 40 countries and brings together classical stories with a highly contemporary flavor. The relationships show today’s families, each with its own distinctive character, difficulties and diversity. The new payoff is “Barilla. A sign of love” and it will be exactly these signs that will let the protagonists of the stories find each other, communicate and feel a little bit closer.
Saverio Costanzo directed this film, “A Sign of Love,” via BRW Filmland. Costanzo is known to the public 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 enhance the emotional impact of the Barilla film, the music of “Beautiful that Way” by Noa was chosen as a reinterpretation of the soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film La Vita è Bella.
Credits
Client Barilla Agency Publicis Italy Bruno Bertelli, global chief creative officer; Christiana Boccassini, chief creative officer, Italy; Riccardo Fregoso, executive creative director; Stefano Battistelli, creative director/copywriter; Marco Vigano, creative director/art director; Stefano Zanoni, associate creative director/copywriter; Roberto Ardigo, creative supervisor/art director; Giulia Di Filippo, art director; Mattia Leporale, digital art director; Jacopo Trotta, digital copywriter; Bela Ziemann, chief strategy officer; Monica Radulescu, Ornella Ciot, strategy directors; Margherita Tuvo, sr. digital strategist; Francesca Zazzera, head of TV production; Alessio Zazzera, Antonella Capella, TV producers. Production BRW Filmland Saverio Costanzo, live-action director; Fabio Cianchetti, DP; Luca Robecchi, director/DP, food; Luca Merlini, set designer; Marcella Galeone, set decorator; Amelianna Loiacono, stylist; Gianluca Francese, assistant stylist; Francesca Alberoni, food stylist; Luca Orlando, exec producer; Claudio Cicoli, head of production; Cristina De Rossi, production manager; Daniela Fabrizio, production coordinator; Liza Fisher Foresi, line producer, live action; Irene Rei, assistant producer, live action; Simona Ferraro, line producer, food; Marco Fazio, production manager, food. Postproduction Tex s.r.l. Nicola Scarpinato, postproduction supervisor; Fabrizio Squeo, Stuart Greenwald, editors; Davide Maccagni, Jacopo Ardit, Flame artists; Andrea Baracca, Daniel Pallucca, colorists. VFX Exchanges VFX s.r.l. Marco Negri, Mirko de Angelis, VFX supervisors; Andrea Valeria Peri, producers; Roberta Longo, Elena Iankov, Guido Tognoni. Paolo Gerosa, compositors. Music “Beautiful That Way” Nicola Piovani, Gil Dor, Achinoam Nini, authors; Noa, performer. Music Supervision and Licensing quiet, please! Ferdinando Arno, music supervision and re-recording; Alessandra Teatini, Luca Lo Tito, exec producers. Music Publishing Tentacoli Edizioni Musicali. Audio Post Screenplay
Stain remover Vanish presents this emotional short film--created by BETC Havas, Sao Paulo, and produced by LOBO--that explores the profound consequences of bullying and highlights the importance of open conversations between parents and children. Titled The Bully Monster, the animated film premiered at the Maquinaria Festival in Rio de Janeiro on February 15 in a special edition featuring family-focused programming.
The film’s protagonist is a boy who experiences bullying at school but keeps silent about his suffering. Isolation turns sadness into insecurity, creating invisible emotional scars that only grow in the absence of dialogue. When his mother notices stains on his uniform, these marks become the starting point for a revealing conversation. As words find space to make themselves heard, the stains begin to fade.
This initiative aligns with the Vanish Saves Your Uniform campaign, which, for the past three years during the back-to-school season, has engaged with parents by positioning the brand as a trusted partner in preserving school uniforms. This year, Vanish decided to broaden the conversation, bringing bullying into the debate as the real stain that can impact a child’s life.
The Bully Monster is being screened as preshow material in movie theaters starting February 20 and will also be available on streaming platforms and digital channels. In addition to the film, the campaign will include out-of-home activations and school initiatives through a partnership with Abrace – Preventive Programs, the founding organization of the “Bullying-Free Schools” program, which has been equipping institutions with resources to combat school violence for 12 years.
“Research indicates that stains on a uniform can... Read More
