Want to run a PR campaign in Italy? Here’s how!
We all know Italy for its beautiful scenery, gorgeous sights, and mouth-watering food. And so, it’s no surprise that Italy has been taken by storm by influencers. You’ll find images splashed all over the web. There’ll be Insta pictures of girls in Florence holding a gelato, shots of people sunbathing in the glorious sunshine and enjoying a beach day, as well as countryside weddings.
But what if I told you that influencers aren’t the only digital-savvy people who are taking advantage of everything Italy has to offer? In fact, the digital opportunities here are endless.
With GDP in the cosmetics supply chain totalling approximately 12 billion euros (1) and a staggering 42 billion euros for the fashion industry (2), Italy ranks top place for some of the most ludicrous market niches. But what does that mean? Opportunity of course!
There will be several firms looking for their digital partner to bring them to the next level in their digital journey. And what better way to boost SEO rankings, visibility, and brand awareness than…drumroll please, digital PR!
But, how should you go about and tackle digital PR opportunities in Italy? Well, it’s the same for every other destination really; being aware of the culture is key. Italy is a very black and white type of country, with its own unwritten rules and a different culture from the one of northern Europe. So, let’s look at ways you can capitalise on it.
Know your newsjacking opportunities
First, be aware of key dates you will want to use for your campaigns. In Italy, most ‘awareness days’ aren’t really about awareness at all. Most of these days are centred around religious holidays, and over time, they’ve taken a more commercial meaning.
The main ones you want to tackle until the end of 2021 are:
15th of august – Ferragosto
This originated from ‘Feriae Augusti’, the festival of emperor Augustus, who decided to make this day a national holiday at the time as a reward for people’s hard work in the previous months.
1st of November – Tutti i Santi
This is a holiday to celebrate all the saints that don’t have their own dedicated day. Italians don’t really celebrate it as a holiday, but the bank holiday that comes with it is always welcomed!
Patron days
Every city will have its ‘Patron Day’, so if you want to plan a regional campaign around it, make sure you check when that is, because it varies massively. For instance, Rome’s patron day is on the 29th of June, but Milan’s is on the 7th of December!
Back to school day
In Italy, schools restart in September. In fact, kids don’t go back to the classroom until mid/late September, because it’s too hot beforehand for them to sit through hours of teaching. It won’t count as an awareness day per se, but make sure you plan your campaigns around this if you want to go after the parenting niche or have family/kids PR angles.
Christmas and the 8th of December
We’re all aware of Christmas, but Italians celebrate the 8th of December, too, for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Just like the 1st of November, Italians might not particularly observe the religious holiday, but they welcome the bank holiday with open arms!
Top tips for digital PR outreach in Italy
So now that you know what dates you should plan your campaigns around until the end of the year, how do you actually outreach to an Italian journalist?
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Don’t bother with August
Remember the 15th of August being a national holiday? Italians do take that seriously and pretty much everyone is O.O.O. So, do plan campaigns around it, but make sure you outreach them well before, or a week after. Most people will be sunbathing on a beach by the time you get to the day and companies shut their doors for a few days, too.
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Data or pop culture works best
Italian newspapers cover a wide range of topics of course, but in terms of campaigns, journalists seem to prefer either data-led or pop culture related. So, if you don’t have a fresh survey or research to promote, just think of something fun and eye-catching you can do with the Friends Reunion (true story, we got links in the national press that way!)
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Friday is as good as Monday
In the UK it’s a well-known fact that outreach should really be focused on at the beginning of the week. Whereas in Italy, it doesn’t really matter. In fact, some journalists might be more receptive towards the end of the week, as they might’ve got most of the things they needed doing done and dusted by then. So, Friday really is as good as Monday.
However, make sure you avoid 12:20 pm to 3 pm time-wise, as everyone will be having their lunch! And if you know how good Italian food is, you can also guess that lunch breaks usually last a couple of hours…Buon appetito and happy link building!
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