Advertising
The story of Fabbri's advertising goes hand in hand with the history of advertising in Italy, making extensive use of almost all the possible means of publicity: printed paper, radio, posters and banners, billboards in stadiums, theatres and airports, hoardings, illuminated signs and even aerostats.
During the 1920s, it was again Gennaro Fabbri's idea to send his sons Aldo and Romeo on a tour of Italy, in the two most famous cars of the time, an Isotta Fraschini and an Itala, to promote Fabbri's products in shops, bars, cafés and restaurants. This was an extremely effective strategy at the time, when cars were still within the reach of very few. When the company moved to Bologna, Gennaro decided to affix a huge advertising hoarding on the front of the building, the forerunner of today's modern billboards.
Gennaro Fabbri immediately understood the importance of conveying a strong, up-to-date corporate message. Realising that more than a good product was needed to sell, he distributed the first liqueurs with captivating names and labels. The result was the cordial liqueur Primo Maggio and Amaro Carducci. "Virov", an energising liqueur, heralded the era of promotions: it was sold with a free set of cups in white and gold porcelain, made by Richard-Ginori.
Another "Fabbri classic" was the decision to produce promotional materials that were also useful everyday items for bars, cafés, ice-cream parlours and cake shops, such as trays, mirrors with advertising slogans, clocks, key rings, colourful glasses and special bottles, culminating in the creation that was destined to represent the company over time: the famous jar of Amarena cherries, the symbol of an era and genuine values, which is now an icon.
Fabbri's first printed advertising campaign dates from the 1930s, in the pages of the Carlino newspaper, while the decision was also taken at this time to use the radio, a form of communication that reflected the company's aspirations to expand beyond the local boundaries.
Fabbri was one of the first companies in Italy to use the newest medium of all: television. On 3 February 1957, the first Carosello advertising programme was broadcast. The gags and characters created at that time are now part of the history of Italian showbusiness and tradition.
These characters include the best-known of all the Fabbri characters: Salomone Pirata Pacioccone, created in 1965. With his fat stomach and curled moustache, the pirate and his crew are to blame for the overquoted question "Cappetano, lo possiamo torturare?" (Captain, can we torture him?), a catchphrase which has become part of the everyday Italian language.
The history of Fabbri's Carosello is a long one, studded with unforgettable productions, successful "serial" ads produced by directors such as Luciano Emmer and first-class designers, artists, actors and singers. In the series "Un pittore alla settimana" (A Painter a Week), ambassadors for the Gran Senior brandy included artists of the calibre of Guttuso, Capogrossi, Gentilini, Levi, and Cagli, filmed while working on their paintings. The idea behind the series "Una canzone per voi" (A Song for You), was to parody musical hits of the time. "Tutti i gusti sono gusti" (All the flavours are flavours) was a mini show which marked the début of comedians Franco Franchi and Ciccio Ingrassia in the Carosello programmes. The great actor Adolfo Celi played the part of a James Bond beyond compare. The melodramatic Tino Buazzelli sipped Fabbri's "Inventabibite" syrups and sampling fruit liqueurs while quoting excerpts and characters by Shakespeare and Goldoni.
After years of investing in television, radio and press advertising, nowadays Fabbri mainly relies on external publicity to communicate the brand to its public. Although billboards are the favoured means of publicity, point-of-sale advertising and consumer promotions are also key. Recently, attendance at trade fairs and events in Italy and abroad has become increasingly important
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