Campari recently unveiled the full imagery for its iconic 2016 Calendar in New York City, entitled ‘The BitterSweet Campaign’, starring the beautifully charismatic American actress and entrepreneur Kate Hudson. The blonde beauty has taken the stage in this year’s Campari Calendar as two separate candidates in the 17th edition in the Calendar collection, dedicated to celebrating Campari’s unique, intriguing and versatile bittersweet taste profile. This year’s calendar capitalises on the buzz and excitement of elections, asking people to take a stand, express an opinion, and cast their vote via social media, for which aspect of the classic apéritif they identify with more: Bitter vs Sweet.
The growing popularity in bitter flavours in the world of mixology and food also plays a central role for The BitterSweet Campaign. The two sides of the ‘campaign’ are a reflection of Campari’s unmistakable bittersweet taste, whose opposing yet complementary profiles, can be perceived as more bitter, or in contrast, sweeter, depending on the cocktail in which Campari is used and will culminate on ‘election day’ on 1st March 2016.
Throughout the thirteen images, Kate Hudson embodies and personifies these two souls of Campari playing the roles of two different candidates on the campaign trail: one promoting the captivating bitterness platform versus the other supporting a more subtle, intriguing sweetness platform. Each image by acclaimed international fashion photographer Michelangelo di Battista was brought to life further through dramatic sets and a series of stunning outfits created by leading designers including Vivienne Westwood, Versace, Halston, Brian Atwood and Christian Louboutin to name just a few.
On starring in the 2016 Campari Calendar, Kate Hudson comments, “For me, this project meant much more than producing a good calendar, it was a creative process telling a great story. It was a fabulous campaign challenging myself to bring out two different sides to ensure that the pictures told the story in a creative and beautiful way – and that is exactly what we’ve achieved. As a person I lean towards the sweeter side, however my taste buds definitely love bitter! This year’s theme asks people to take a stand for what they believe in, and this is a very powerful message. The 2016 Calendar is a testament to how well Campari knows itself, seeing itself in a contemporary setting proving that no matter how classic the brand is, there will always be a firm place for Campari within today’s contemporary world.”
International fashion photographer Michelangelo di Battista, whose career spans over 20 years, brings this intriguing duality to life in the Calendar’s images. Michelangelo’s dedication and passion towards his craft has led him to adopt a unique and distinctive style of photography capturing a mysteriously alluring radiance from his subjects – a style evident in this year’s Campari Calendar.
On his involvement in the 2016 Campari Calendar, Michelangelo Di Battista adds, “What I loved most about working on the Campari Calendar is the flexibility this year’s theme let me have. As a photographer, this project has given me the opportunity to use my unique sense of aesthetic and well-defined style, which reflects the Campari brand seamlessly. Crucially, each image had to stand alone as well as work as a collection. Working with Kate confirmed we both have a strong desire to deliver perfection, or as close to it as possible. It was the perfect partnership and I think we achieved what we set out to do.”
Bob Kunze-Concewitz, Gruppo Campari Chief Executive Officer comments, “I am excited to launch this year’s Campari Calendar, The BitterSweet Campaign in New York, allowing us to once again celebrate Campari’s uniqueness. The brand is a true icon continuously renewing itself. It has grown from a local Italian bitter spirit to a world-renowned contemporary global brand and I think this year’s Calendar theme inspired by the iconography and mechanism of an election, really captures this essence. It is about showing that there are always two sides to every story, person or product, as is the case for Campari. Kate Hudson perfectly personified the two flavours adding the right amount of theatre and seductiveness which allowed Michelangelo’s creative genius to shine, giving the Calendar the right balance of modern and classic.”
For the first time in the Calendar’s history, consumers are at the centre of the campaign. The public has been called upon to share their opinion and take a stand by interacting with each of the parties involved by following the campaign through Campari’s social channels where exclusive content will be released throughout the campaign, as well keep on top of how each side is performing by using the hashtags #gobitter and #gosweet. A dedicated online platform has also been created where consumers will be able to keep abreast of all the content created, see the progress of each party, take the BitterSweet test to see which party they truly belong to, and, most importantly, vote and take a stand!
The Campari Calendar, of which only 9,999 copies are printed, will not go on sale but will be internationally distributed to friends of Campari around the world.
Leo Burnett Milan created the Calendar theme, The BitterSweet Campaign. Working side by side with photographer Michelangelo Di Battista on the project were Executive Creative Directors Alessandro Antonini and Francesco Bozza, Creative Director Anna Meneguzzo, Associate Creative Director Andrea Marzagalli, Senior Art Director Alessia Casini and Designers Melissa Longa e Josè Mario Vuolo.
Campari is imported, marketed and distributed by Farsons Beverage Imports Company (FBIC) Limited, a member of the Farsons Group.