Today was – by far – my favorite day of media visits.
We started at Burston-Marsteller, an advertising company that has done campaigns for international companies.
The overall presentation, at first, sounded boring, but it was actually really intriguing. There were a few presenters that covered all aspects of the advertising industry – from their personal market to demographics to keeping with the brand identity of products.
The brand identity segment was the most intriguing in my opinion. We talked about their campaign for Campari, a liquor base made in Italy. We all got samples, although I’m pretty sure all of us wish we hadn’t.
The brand calls itself “50% bitter and 50% sweet,” but I’d give it an 80/20 ratio. It’s also bright red and tastes like liquid wood.
Taste aside, the campaign that Burston-Marsteller came up with was amazing, and actually had me wanting to drink more Campari by the end of the presentation (although I definitely did not). It was called the Red Diaries and had a mini movie called The Legend of Red Hand that was really cool.
All of us grabbed lunch provided by Burston-Marsteller (sandwiches with pizza for bread????) and then hit the road.
We then went to RAI Milan, the local public television station. Anna Vitaliani was there and it was so nice to see and chat with her again after the weeks we spent with her back in Pittsburgh!
After collecting our passports at the gate and intimidating all of us, we went up the stairs to an auditorium room where we were given two short presentations on how public television and television in general work in Italy.
The most interesting thing we covered was actually something we talked about in class as well, which was the fact that Italians have to pay a TV tax – about 90 Euros a year – that goes toward public television and stations like RAI.
Public television is also much more popular than it is in the states. Private television hardly exists, let alone has a good standing in the markets.
We then went on a set tour, where we saw their virtual set (which was amazing and I wish Point Park had one like it), the sets of their regional and national news, and their main set, complete with seating for a live studio audience. It was easily my favorite media visit of our entire trip.
When we got back to the hotel, Josh and I found a place called Mind the Step to go for dinner. I had some really good fish and chips. While we were eating, a few others from the group came there as well, and we all went to a bar afterwards.
After having the BEST WINE I’ve ever tasted in my life, we returned to the hotel for a good night’s rest for our last day in Italy tomorrow.
Updates with all of our adventures on the last day tomorrow night! Ciao!