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← Torna a IdeeEarning a Place in Culture.
In an interview by India Fizer at Ad Forum, Carola Bracci (Head of Social) and Paulo Gonzales (Content Creative Director) explain how Ogilvy Italy builds brands people welcome in.
Today’s most effective brands are becoming a part of the cultural conversation. This feature highlights campaigns fueled by fandom, pop culture, and influencer-led storytelling. From celebrity collaborations to meme-worthy moments, we want to chat with agencies about these branding opportunities.
- Brands are expected to play an active role in culture today — not just advertise but participate. How are you seeing clients respond to that shift, and what role does your agency play in helping them navigate it?
Paulo: We’re seeing clients trade speed for substance. The brief used to be “jump on the moment”; now it’s “earn a role in the community.” Our job is to reframe from appearances to contribution. We map the spaces where a brand genuinely belongs, shape a point of view people find useful, and build the operating model to sustain it—native partners, creator relationships, and measurement that values welcome and repeat engagement, not just impressions.
Carola: With CeraVe on Twitch, we worked with streamers to design avatars in their favorite games, only to show that acne‑prone skin wasn’t an option. That absence triggered real conversations about representation and normalization, led by creators the audience already trusted. The brand didn’t force a message; it enabled a discussion the community cared about—and was embraced for it. That’s the shift: show up where you have credibility, add something meaningful, and be invited back.
- How do you evaluate whether a cultural trend or fandom is a smart branding opportunity?
Paulo: We evaluate trends and fandoms by looking for depth, fit, and contribution. Is the space more than a spike, with norms and storytellers that last? Does it align with the brand’s beliefs and product truth? And can the brand add something the community actually wants—utility, knowledge, or real access? If any of those are weak, we pass; the goal isn’t visibility but being welcomed.
Carola: During Milan Design Week, a fashion house drew long queues by gifting stools in its signature fabric. IKEA, present at the same activation, leaned into democratic design by seating people waiting for its flagship on similar stools from the existing catalogue—beautiful, accessible, and already available to everyone. The gesture reframed the conversation from exclusivity to everyday design and showed a perfect brand‑culture fit because it delivered practical value consistent with IKEA’s mission.
(Case video: https://youtu.be/dKVL4eJa-mQ)
- What strategies do you employ to ensure a campaign doesn’t just capitalize on a moment but creates lasting cultural relevance for the brand?
Carola: To make relevance last, we start with people. Beyond data, we talk to real representatives of the target communities; through our proprietary integrated research service named OgilvyOZ and its immersive approach, we understand expectations, unmet needs, and what they would truly value online. Those insights feed brand strategy that defines clear territories of affinity. We enter conversations as peers, not from the top down. The shift is from selling at people to giving back—enriching the lore, contributing new angles, inspiring with every piece of content. Then we maintain an always‑on practice: social listening that tracks not only brand terms but the fandom’s own language, so we can respond, iterate, and earn our stay.
That’s how we approached Vodafone and music. A rigorous qual‑quant study confirmed the brand’s edgy credibility in the category and clarified the audience to bring closer. We partnered with an Italian artist and released a new track exclusively via a dedicated Vodafone phone number, turning access into a ritual and making the network part of the cultural experience—then we evolved the program based on live feedback.
- As consumer behavior evolves and digital spaces become more fragmented, how do you see the role of niche subcultures or micro-influencers shaping brand narratives compared to traditional celebrity endorsements?
Carola: Celebrity can deliver reach, but micro‑influencers and subculture leaders shape the story from inside the community. Their proximity to the codes, humor, and boundaries builds trust through repeated, context‑rich interactions. We often go depth before scale: co‑create with the insiders until the narrative earns traction, then amplify if it serves the strategy.
For Chilly’s launch of intimate masks, we worked with a micro‑influencer already trusted for playful, platform‑appropriate tutorials. We stayed faithful to her tone of voice, created a bespoke box just for her, and let her lead education in a way that felt native and respectful. The content looked like culture rather than advertising, and the conversation was guided by someone the audience already listened to—proof that influence within a niche can move sentiment and behavior more effectively than a one‑off endorsement.
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy inspires brands and people to impact the world. Ogilvy ha creato campagne di marketing iconiche e di innovazione culturale fin dal 1948, anno in cui David Ogilvy ha fondato l’agenzia. Questa è l’eredità che ci guida ancora oggi nel gestire, innovare e creare progetti che intersecano talenti e capacità, e sono supportati da una creatività libera da barriere. I nostri esperti in Advertising, Customer Experience, Public Relations, Health e Consulting operano in modo fluido in 130 uffici distribuiti su 90 paesi per offrire soluzioni creative di eccellenza.
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