Saatchi & Saatchi Milan: Down's to Business

Last year, Saatchi Italy’s Down’s syndrome campaign scored sky-high ethically, fiscally, and consequentially. Oh, and it cleaned up at Cannes. The agency’s also been leading the way in digital, so, while all is rosy at its Milan HQ, ECD Agostino Toscana has concerns about the national industry’s cautious clients, brain-drain and lack of morale, and is hoping for a brighter future

Imagine creating a campaign that costs next to nothing to make, wins tons of awards, earns millions of euros worth of media, makes all your clients look noble and raises awareness about a good cause. It’s the Holy Grail for ad agencies and last year it was pulled off by not a London, New York or São Paulo shop, but an Italian one.

The ECD at the agency responsible, Saatchi & Saatchi Milan, is Agostino Toscana. A youthful- looking 52-year-old, he settled there in ‘94 and can’t imagine working anywhere else. “I’ve stayed at Saatchi for so long because I’ve never found another place that offered me the same opportunity in terms of freedom in creativity.”

One of the many changes he’s seen over the years is the industry’s move into digital media, though Toscana laments that Italy and most of Southern Europe is behind its northern cousins in that field. “For almost 20 years the [former] Prime Minister [Silvio Berlusconi] controlled almost all the major TV stations, newspapers and magazines. This directed large ad budgets towards traditional media,” he explains. But though recent austerity measures have encouraged the growth of new media, Toscana hopes that there’ll be other reasons for its expansion. “Clients need to believe in new media and get used to the idea of investing the same budget as [they would in] TV if they want to compete with the rest of the world, and not consider it as a cheap shortcut to communicate.”

Fun with beer and big birds

Saatchi Milan, however, hasn’t been tardy in embracing digital. “We’re faster than the other [Italian] agencies because we started [using new media] before them,” says Toscana. The kind of campaigns that have seen them leading the way include 2009’s Contemporary Beer for Zoogami, a website that pulled in content to make a unique video based on any word typed into its search bar, and 2011’s Angry Birds Live for T-Mobile, an experiential project that offered a larger-than-life-size version of the popular game. But it was last year’s aptly titled Integration Day campaign for Coordown, an association that promotes the integration of people with Down’s syndrome into society, particularly the workplace, that achieved the ‘Holy Grail’ status mentioned earlier.

Clever client coddling

For six months, while making commercials for its other clients, Saatchi was shooting alternative versions of the scenes featuring actors with Down’s syndrome. On World Down’s Syndrome Day in March, the alternative versions of the ads were aired and printed to demonstrate that sufferers of the condition can integrate into society seamlessly. People with Down’s syndrome also appeared as TV and radio hosts and as chat show guests. It was a genius idea, but Toscana is modest about it. “The idea came from necessity because in times of [economic] crisis it’s very difficult to do socially conscious campaigns,” he explains. “All our efforts were concentrated in finding a mechanism to make a great campaign that would get lots of free media – the only chance to be seen – but that didn’t cost a penny to anyone involved. Coming up with the idea wasn’t too hard, but producing it was a nightmare.”

Because many of Saatchi’s clients (illy, Toyota, Pampers, Carta Si and more) were involved, so was every member of staff, so more than 60 people worked tirelessly to realise the campaign and ensure its vast media coverage. “We all used every connection we had in the media to get space on TV shows, magazines, in the news. There were phone calls, emails, meetings – it really was a heavy lifting job,” recalls Toscana proudly.

He should be proud. The campaign made a massive splash, with €5.5m worth of press coverage, reaching 18 million people – a third of the population. In the following week Coordown received a 600 per cent spike in calls from people interested in welcoming those with Down’s syndrome into the workplace. It also excelled at Cannes, winning seven gold and one bronze Lion, a record number for a single Italian campaign. Is it important for Italians to win awards? “I think it’s good for morale because we always think that we’re not as good as other countries.”

A follow-up Coordown campaign is on the way, but Toscana’s keeping mum about it. “This time it will be a real fundraising campaign and it will have a strong digital connotation because we are in partnership with one of the two biggest international names on the web.”

From standby to take-off

Toscana describes the Italian market as currently in ‘standby’ with little investment and long decision times from clients. He also regrets the departure of much local talent. “I have never seen so many creatives leave Italy and try their luck abroad. It’s no longer felt they have a chance here,” he sighs. But Saatchi is supportive of those who want to try pastures new. “Thanks to the network, we place them in the USA or Belgium or England. I strongly suggest to all my young creatives to have an experience abroad.”

It’s Italy’s neglected, estranged talent that Toscana believes could kick the industry back into life. “There are a lot of young people who work abroad and could come back and make a big contribution.” But he thinks that the imminent general election will dictate the country’s fortunes. “It depends on the Italians – if they will abandon their old habits and really count on the many talents that we have here. If the old Italy wins again it’s [going to be] a mess I think. We really need a new way to be Italian.”