Italy’s Canti wine brand to go on TV

Italy’s Fratelli Martini is investing £1.7 million in a television campaign for its Canti wine brand, which is set to air from the end of this month.

Focusing initially on Canti Prosecco, Gianni Martini, president of the family-owned company, told the drinks business that the advertising would be shown on ITV and Sky television channels, with a high level of exposure from the end of June to late July, before a second and final burst from October to the end of the year.

Martini said that the content of the advertisements would be “a big surprise” but assured db that the agency employed in their creation was extremely skilled, remarking, “we have used one of the top four biggest advertising agencies in the world.”

Last year Martini invested in promoting Canti through advertising on 6,000 London black cabs.

While recording that it was “a big investment”, Martini admitted that the exposure from this exercise was restricted to central London and Heathrow airport, while he pointed out that 6,000 taxis was just a small proportion of the city’s 85,000 cabs in total.

Speaking further about his decision to take Canti on to television, he said, “I reinvest all my profit in the company.”

He also stressed the importance of advertising when it comes to brand building, whatever the product. “It is impossible to build a brand without investing in advertising,” he stated.

Nevertheless, he also admitted, “This is my risk, and it will be impossible to calculate the return on investment in volume, but I’m sure there will be a return in terms of image.”

The company has also installed a Canti Prosecco Bar in London’s most famous department store, Harrods, as well as further bars in Rome, Moscow and Sydney.

Currently, around 30% of Canti’s sales are from sparkling wine, and Martini said that in the future he would like to add a DOCG Prosecco from Valdobbiadene to complement Canti’s DOC Prosecco.