Telecom Italia´s new television advertising campaign, conceived by the Armando Testa agency and produced by FilmMaster, made its debut on 1 February 2002. The campaign features Domestic Wireline´s latest commercial offering "Ricomincio da te", originally announced in mid-December 2001. This package automatically offers all Italian residential customers one hour of free local calls every two-month billing period, effective immediately, plus a significant reduction (-47.3%) in long-distance call charges.
TV advertisement
Directed by Daniele Luchetti, the advertisement reprises the previous campaign that was so well received by Italian viewers, set in the famous "military outpost". Massimo Lopez, playing Commander Champignon as he faces the inimitable execution squad, is joined this time by surprise guest Tullio Solenghi.
The last time we saw Massimo Lopez at the military outpost was in the final spot that aired in Christmas 1999, when he wished us a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Millennium. And that´s where he still is today, in his beloved outpost, the place where he feels most at home.
Life continues as usual for the squad, Champignon, and above all the telephone. Then suddenly a German platoon bursts into the outpost, led by an angry general who starts barking out incomprehensible orders. The time has come to finally conclude the execution of poor old Champignon.
The tension is palpable. The general orders the platoon to fan out opposite Lopez and to load their guns. But the platoon has its own ideas, by now they’ve developed a soft spot for the prisoner. It’s nothing short of mutiny as they shoot into the air.
And then the big surprise. From out of the sky falls… Tullio Solenghi.
It is a moment charged with emotion. The two comedians, who for years have been friends and worked together, meet up at last, embrace and decide to take advantage of the general melee to make good their escape. But Lopez suddenly stops in its tracks and retraces his steps: he has forgotten something fundamental. He races back into the outpost to pick up the one thing that has been so important to him all these years, the one thing that has saved his life so many times: the Telephone.
He sweeps it up and then catches Solenghi, going hell for leather for freedom, and by way of explanation says: "Well, now there’s one hour of telephone calls free every billing period, you didn´t think I was going to leave that for them did you?"
This is the key moment of Telecom Italia Domestic Wireline´s new advertising campaign, which breathes new life into a story that belongs not just to Telecom but has become part of the collective experience. The new Telecom Italia uses simple and direct language to win a place in the hearts of Italian people, telling TV viewers new stories and presenting its latest products.
In its latest advertising campaign Telecom Italia is keen to promote its new "Ricomincio da te" commercial offering: one hour of free telephone calls every two-month billing period, plus the extension of weekend inter-district long-distance call rates to weekdays between 6:30 PM and 8 AM.
The television campaign will be on-air for three weeks on Italy´s major national television networks (RAI, Mediaset and La7) starting 1 February.
13 o’ clock: Telecom Italia gives away 60 minutes of calls.
The advertising campaign also spans newspapers and magazines, posters and radio. The creative idea behind the press campaign is "Putting the Clocks Back", represented by the image of a clock displaying 13 o’ clock rather than 12 o´clock – the extra hour being the gift Telecom Italia is making to all its residential customers.