How can I embrace the feel-good rhetoric of those who see the pandemic as an opportunity for change? Let’s not kid ourselves, let’s not fool ourselves. Some have even gone so far as to “bless it.” We can’t waste time with the usual bunch of fools. We need to see the world’s events with the eyes of reality, facing the volcano that erupts the despair of tragedy. It’s not a pretty sight, it’s painful, heartbreaking. We can and must start again, but with the awareness that a future of ruins awaits us, where everything must be rebuilt: from the hospital network to the country’s economic reality. The pandemic, this is true, has forced Italians to make a virtue out of necessity and to get creative with new means to work and do other things related to the social nature of living. The world of work has adapted, as has that of schools and communication. Advertising is no exception. Many commercials have been recorded remotely. The most well-known case, perhaps the most significant, concerns Facebook. Here, the “Olio del Pozzo” commercials aired, featuring Gennaro Cannavacciuolo as the spokesperson. The actor praised the virtues of the product with short videos shot at home with his smartphone, posted on his profile, which received approval and enthusiasm from the public. With the claim If you taste it, you fall in love a publicity campaign was launched that led to growing fame. The Olio del Pozzo campaign revealed two innovations that can change the way we think about advertising. That is, you can be creative on a shoestring budget, and if the idea is good, you can push a small brand and bring it to the attention of a wide national audience. All this thanks to the use of social networks. Olio del Pozzo should not be seen as the classic product born from the ingenuity of a multinational. This is a small farm in the heart of Umbria. With commitment and passion, the Gervasi family works to carry on agricultural traditions at every stage: from cultivation, to harvesting, to (cold) pressing and bottling. The company promotes its extra virgin olive oil, DOP, produced for 4 generations in the green hills of Gualdo Cattaneo, a few kilometers from Perugia, Assisi, Foligno, and Todi. An unspoiled area, whose flavors, colors, and traditions are enclosed in the ancient native plants owned by the company. Olio del Pozzo, therefore, fits perfectly into the productive framework of our local SMEs. Gennaro Cannavacciuolo explained to me the reasons that led him to become the product’s spokesperson: “At a time when there is still so much confusion around the concept of quality, especially in the olive oil sector, which sees supermarkets invaded by blended oils from various foreign countries, it is important to support local, genuine, and artisanal economies and productions.” At this point, I wonder: is the future of advertising on Facebook? Maybe not entirely, but finally there is also room for small companies that invest energy. Moreover, Olio del Pozzo is well positioned for the future of commerce: it can only be purchased online, thus eliminating any kind of intermediation: from producer to consumer.

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