Napolina, the versatility of Tomato

One of the harsh but very true statements I have heard from my university lecturers was that it is easy to advertise for big, posh, aspirational brands. More money is available for their advertising, they often embody strong emotional metaphors and, because of their aspirational nature, people will pay attention to them.

A probably more difficult challenge is to create a powerful message for boring products which, by themselves, may not carry any meaning regarding a consumer’s status, beliefs, or personality and may be very hard to distinguish from their competitors. That being said, the product we’re going to try and redesign, from an advertising perspective, is… Napolina!

Napolina’s range of chopped and peeled tomatoes, as well as their tomato pastes and pasatta’s distinguishes itself on the basis that it is Italian. However, because of the nature of the product, taking a more direct approach in suggesting a strong connection between the product and Italian-related associations might prove to be beneficial. Since it’s a low involvement product, a message that is too obscure, discrete or abstract might just be disregarded.

Italy, as a symbol, has many strong associations linked to it. With ambassadors like fashion, cuisine and politics carrying those associations throughout the world, they become embedded in the minds of consumers and serve to add to the heuristic map by which they give meaning to the world around them. This offers an incredible opportunity for Napolina, which hasn’t really taken enough advantage of its Italian heritage to boost its profile and sales to full potential.   

1.      The Italian boot

This ad uses the strong colours of the Italian flag, together with a black background, to create a strong and colourful contrast that serves to grab attention. The colours of the Italian flag also resonate very well with the product. Green is often used to suggest freshness, youth, health and natural while red, besides being the colour of tomatoes, is also commonly associated with passion and sex and serves to further draw the audience due to its common use as a cue to indicate something of high importance.

The boot squashing the tomato plays a dual role since, on the one hand, it reinforces the identity of the product due to Italy being said to resemble a boot and, on the other hand, the type of boot and the fact that it is squashing a tomato is suggestive of bondage or S&M sexual practices and serves to tap into the viewer’s inner impulses and desires.  Furthermore, the need for food and sex are deeply embedded in our nature, a fact which creates a strong bond between the two.

The only copy used is the slogan, which feeds on the elements described above and which is self-explanatory.

2.      The stomping

You are outside in the Italian countryside, surrounded by clear blue skies while the warm, radiant sun caresses your face. All around you, the only things you can see for miles are green-fielded hills with small villages and crops on top, giving the whole scenery a strong, rural and cosy feeling of peacefulness and joy. In front of you are two Italian women: dark hair, olive-tanned skin, beautiful, with bare feet, jumping and stomping tomatoes in a large wooden vat. For one split second, time seems to stop and you can see the women frozen in the air, right before falling back down to stomp the tomatoes. Their hair loose, their faces covered in radiating smiles and their hands holding.

                That split second is then captured and framed. In the bottom of the capture, the slogan and brand reveal themselves: "Napolina – Feed your dreams…"

3.      The Mafioso

You are in a dark dead-end alley at night, with walls behind you, left and right. The only distinguishable source of light is a neon Italian flag in the window of a shop, far in the background. In front of you is an Italian mobster with a cigar in his mouth. He grins at you while holding a gun in one hand and a can of Napolina chopped tomatoes in the other.

The slogan states: "Napolina – I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse."

4.      On the catwalk

A stylish fashion event has drawn a large crowd around the catwalk. Journalists, critics, designers and other industry VIPs are attending. Models come and go, showing the newest and most outrageous collections to the delight of the audience. Suddenly, something happens! Everybody rushes to get closer to the catwalk, journalists flash their cameras to get a better shot, screams and excitement fill the room. On the tip of the catwalk and in the middle of the commotion, a tomato with a stylish large and a ribbon with the Italian flag basks in all the attention.

The slogan: "Napolina – Never goes out of style"

5.      Italy… in a CAN!

The last idea attempts to target a different audience, looking to grab the attention of the younger consumer.

                A pizza, a bowl of pasta and a serving of risotto are pictured together. The headline asking: “What do they have in common?” In the bottom of the frame, the copy states: “They are delicious, they are Italian, they are Napolina.“

Thank you for taking the time to check out my ideas. In the process of coming up with these ideas, many didn't make the cut because they did not maintain the USP. However, some of them might be quite good and will be posted later on, in a separate post. 

Have a great day :)