Prosecco Doc among TV, radio, concerts and more: the Consortium invests heavily in promotion in the world

Prosecco continues to reap success. And if the bubbles, Doc and Docg, which are born from Glera, together hold in value in exports, at least in the first 9 months 2023 (1.18 billion euros) over 2022 (1.13 billion euros), according to Istat data, for the Prosecco Doc Consortium, constantly engaged on the international protection and promotion front, the end of 2023 is one to remember, and already we are looking to 2024. Because if it was just a few weeks ago the news of the recognition of the geographical indication in New Zealand, which has been until now the main market for Australian “prosecco” (which does not recognize the Denomination and therefore continues to use the word prosecco as the name of the vine variety, ed.), now a new important step has been marked in China, another market that has marked the fate, for better or worse, of Australian wine, which grew by leaps and bounds on the Asian market, and then collapsed after the duties inserted by Beijing, which, it seems, could be lifted soon. But little does it matter to Prosecco Doc producers, who have once again won against “the Australian Wine and Grape Inc”. (Agwi), confirming the validity of the registration in China of the trademark “普罗塞克”(Pu Luo Sai Ke, or Prosecco in Chinese characters). The Consortium has been working for years”, a note explains, “to protect the denomination in the Far East: in fact, it has already obtained important protections in China, both through the registration of the “Prosecco” trademark and in the Agreement on Cooperation and Protection of Geographical Indications between the European Union and the Government of the People's Republic of China. Added to this is the trademark in Chinese ideograms contested by Agwo, which has an interest in exporting Australian wines labeled “prosecco” to this market as well. The Australian association, in fact, filed an application for annulment claiming that “Prosecco” would be a vine variety and not a wine protected as a geographical indication. After two degrees of judgment, the Beijing High Court (Bhc) rejected Agwi's appeal, ruling that the Prosecco trademark, even in Chinese transliteration, constitutes an Ig and can only be used to identify our wine”. “We cannot but be pleased with the result”, comments President Stefano Zanette. “China, one of the most populous countries in the world, has once again recognized that the term Prosecco unquestionably indicates our denomination of origin. This protection is intended to further safeguard our product, the uniqueness of our territories and the hard work that the entire DOC supply chain carries out on a daily basis”. Meanwhile, however, work continues on promotion, and between this December, now drawing to a close, and January 2024, the effort will be massive, with a cross-media campaign with messages in print, billboards, murals, video and audio spots, which will involve Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. “As a complement to the intense monitoring activity aimed at protecting Prosecco, and in addition to the numerous promotional actions that we constantly carry out both in Italy and in the rest of the world, it has become a tradition that our Consortium for the end of the year launches an important communication campaign with an international scope to emphasize the consolidated role of Prosecco Doc in celebrating the most awaited holidays for everyone”, Stefano Zanette, who has been in the saddle at the Consortium for another 10 years, explains further: “with this action, the Consortium pays the utmost attention to the most established markets. In particular, in addition to Italy, the English and German-speaking countries to which we are addressing with a cross-media project that will convey our message through traditional and newer media, but also with art installations that are innovative for us”. In summary, with focus between December 2023 and January 2024, a major cross-media communication campaign will be developed that will touch in particular Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Germany, Switzerland and Austria and will see the well-known Veneto-Friuli bubbly as the protagonist of commercials in major national television networks, radio stations, and social media. There will be no shortage of ads in the print media, presence at major concerts before artists perform and in movie theaters during screenings. Great prominence to the Denomination will be given to billboards, and among the most impactful we point out the giant screens in Time Square in New York, where once again this year the images of Prosecco Doc will certainly flow not unnoticed. But the murals will also play an important role, immense paintings that will triumph in Milan, where they will make their debut in these very days. Another presence that will not go unnoticed will be that of the most bought bubbles in the world in the most renowned ski resorts. In particular, on the RAI networks, the Prosecco Doc Consortium has created a commercial starring Virna Toppi, prima ballerina at La Scala in Milan, accompanied by the multifaceted athlete Davide Garzetti, a parkour professional and sports photomodel. From classic to modern, Prosecco respects tradition but looks forward. The title of the commercial speaks for itself: “Inspired by the classic, moved by the future”, and the leap into the future is served in the most popular programs with the public, such as “Viva Rai 2!” hosted by Fiorello, or the End of the Year Concert at Milan’s La Scala Theater. It will also be aired during the television series most loved by the general public and will flank the schedule related to information in correspondence with Rai’s news programs: Tg1, Tg2 and Tg2. The energetic spin-off “Jump into the future”, on the other hand, will accompany the major sports events broadcast by Rai, above all Skiing and the Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley matches. Also in the television sphere, Prosecco Doc will also be aired on American national TV Pbs, hosted by Lidia Bastianich, queen of programs dedicated to food and wine with her program Lidia’s Kitchen. As for radio stations, an agreement was signed for the occasion with: Radio RTL 102.5, Radio Zeta, Radio Arrow, Radio Dab, as well as a further activation right at the turn of Christmas and the New Year on Radio Deejay, Capital and M2o. In the digital universe, on the other hand, the Prosecco Doc Consortium’s campaign includes intensive and constant activity on its social channels and a digital package that includes Rai Play, Elle Magazine and Internazionale Digital. For the US, the New York Times Digital; for the UK, The Times Bulletin Food & Drink newsletter. For Germany: Foodboom, Kombi Digital Food, Bunde.de. Prosecco Doc, moreover, will be present with its own commercial at the opening of the concerts of Irama & Rkomi, Annalisa, Elisa and Laura Pausini and will appear on 727 cinema screens scattered throughout Italy. Turning to the print media, in Italy Prosecco Doc’s message will be taken up by the main national news dailies and popular periodicals; in the UK by titles such as Times, Sunday Times, Time magazine, Times Table; in the US Prosecco Doc will be featured in the largest national newspaper, the New York Times. In the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria, German-speaking Switzerland) it will be featured in the most representative wine and lifestyle magazines, while in the Italian and French cantons of neighboring Switzerland, Prosecco Doc will appear in the most renowned newspapers. But that’s not all. In London with 880 posters in the stations of the famous Underground, in New York in the giant screens of the iconic Time Square, in Milan with 42 digital screens in the subway and a ledwall on the Porta Garibaldi station, in Cortina, Bormio, Livigno and Courmayeur with Banners near the ski slopes. The visibility guaranteed by these installations, both analog and digital, is reinforced by the more innovative one, at least for Prosecco Doc, of the murals: in the heart of Milan, from now until March 2024, two realizations of great artistic impact will represent the Denomination in places of great flow, a 7 x 9 meter mural in Via Prina and one, even more impressive, of 8 x 20 meters, in Via di Canonica.