San Pellegrino celebrates Sicilian roots

San Pellegrino is celebrating its Sicilian roots with “The Life Deliziosa,” the brand’s first-ever campaign promoting its sparkling fruit beverages.

The global campaign, developed by Ogilvy & Mather‘s Milan and New York offices, is anchored by an online video shot in Sicily (where all the fruit that goes into the beverages is grown). It tries to showcase the Italian zest for life through an unusual guide — a bocce ball. As it travels through a small Italian town, various iconic scenes are depicted — a cobblestone road, bright, bold landscapes, open-air markets and a kiss between young lovers.

Acquired by Nestle Waters in 1999, the brand produces six flavours of sparking fruit beverages in addition to the original San Pellegrino mineral water. In the last 18 months, it’s launched two new sparkling offerings, Clementina and Pomegranate Orange.

http://youtu.be/7K_O5nxJoKk

According to Jennifer Semley Robert, marketing manager for international brands at Nestle Waters Canada, organic growth has been steadily increasing and the time was finally right to launch an awareness campaign.

While people are familiar with the brand, Roberts said “our brand awareness is still quite low, so it was time to speak to the general public and tell them a little more about the brand, where it comes from and what it’s all about.”

The effort is aimed at the brand’s core demographic, those 25- to 34-years old, described by Robert as “discerning, curious optimists that want to share their everyday experiences.”

“They really want to believe in the product they’re drinking, so if we differentiate that it comes from Italy and it has this great background, then that really helps them be proud of what they’re choosing to drink every day,” Robert said.

Additional “Life Deliziosa” videos are housed on San Pellegrino’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. They provide more detail about where and how the fruit is grown, along with authentic Italian recipes, tips on incorporating citrus into meals and mixology ideas.

http://youtu.be/ENuC1-3GG6Q

There’s also a small out-of-home buy in Toronto with billboards placed within the city’s “Little Italy” neighbourhood and elsewhere. With the exception of the OOH ads, the same creative is running in Quebec. Additional elements of the campaign include digital and social.

The digital component of “The Life Deliziosa” is slated to run until the end of September, while the billboards will come down at the end of this month.

This article first appeared on MarketingMag.ca