It was all of Italy's internet users who fell in love / NESTLÉ "FROM GIOVANNI TO DONGIOVANNI"

The problem

Baci Perugina is one of Italy's leading chocolate brands, owned by Nestlé. Building on the brand's visibility around Valentine's Day, the team set out to create an integrated campaign that would let ordinary people speak in the language the brand is known for: love.

The insight

Baci Perugina didn't appear as the star of the story from the start. Instead, it positioned itself as a supporter cheering Giovanni on from the sidelines. The moment a brand pushes itself to the front, the whole story starts to feel fake. So at first, Giovanni appeared only as an anonymous young man pining after someone, slipped quietly into the internet as just another piece of content.

The idea

An impossible romance unfolds online between shy Giovanni and his beautiful neighbor Gaia. Gaia tells Giovanni she'll kiss him if 50,000 people ask her to. So he posts a video on YouTube and starts a Facebook group asking for help. The story spread across video, social media, Perugina's own community site, and even outdoor advertising. In the end, 50,000 emails poured in, and Gaia gave him the kiss. The story unfolded across eight videos, each marking a new turning point.

What happened

In ten days, more than 50,000 emails were sent, over 150,000 people visited the Baci Perugina site, and the videos drew more than 26,000 interactions on YouTube. Giovanni's story was even picked up, unprompted, by Italy's biggest national news program. The campaign won Gold at the Cannes Lions in 2009.

Afterthought

What's amazing is that even though people knew it was fiction, the whole country still wanted to root for Giovanni's love story. The brand stayed completely in the background, and it was simply people's instinct to want to help someone find love that brought in 50,000 emails. This was a campaign where the story sold before the chocolate ever did.

Awards

• Cannes Lions Gold 2009

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