Italian Cuisine and Agri-food Marketing: the 205-million revolution to transform the table into a geopolitical asset

Posted on June 30, 2026 - 11:33 am by Flaminia De Leonardi

Italian cuisine and agri food marketing geopolitical asset

di Giorgio Giordani

The famous payoff “Enjoy, it’s from Europe”, often considered a mere bureaucratic frill, actually represents the centerpiece of EU Regulation 1144/2014. This economic diplomacy tool is not a simple quality label, but the engine of an integrated agri-food marketing strategy that projects the excellence of Italian cuisine and European productions onto world markets, elevating food to a true geopolitical and cultural asset.

The invisible logo and the new food diplomacy

The landscape of European agri-food marketing is preparing to experience an unprecedented transformation. After years of relative stability around 185 million euros and a contraction expected for 2025, the European Commission has announced a financial leap of 55% for 2026, reaching the record figure of 205 million euros.

This explosion of resources is not just a budgetary matter, but a precise positioning choice. The strategic objective is the launch of the new global campaign “Buy European Food“, an institutional “venture marketing” fund designed to support exports and launch the Europe System beyond EU borders, guiding commercial flows through a massive and methodical funding architecture. 2026 thus shapes up to be the year of maximum media firepower to launch the Europe System beyond community borders.

The 50% Club and the Italian dominance of Protection Consortia

Access to these massive funds rewards exclusively the “heavyweights”. Regulation 1144/2014 imposes the criterion of “representativeness”: to submit a project, consortia must prove they represent more than half of the reference national or regional sector (in terms of value and volume). This ruthless sieve favors large historical players and, with the elimination of state co-financing to prevent competition distortions, only those with solid capitalization can afford to cover their share of the costs (ranging from 15% to 30%).

In this scenario, Italy dominates the market, having intercepted approximately 34.3 million euros with 19 leading projects in the latest round. The secret weapon? Our Protection Consortia (Consorzi di Tutela), which, enjoying erga omnes supervisory powers, instantly clear the representativeness threshold. Italy does not do simple advertising; it deploys a true bureaucratic and commercial machine. Examples include the bimodal strategies of the Pecorino Romano Consortium (to consolidate Italy and Germany and attack Japan) or the three-year programs of Parmigiano Reggiano in complex markets such as the UK and Australia.

From “Made in Italy” to “Green Deal”: the new ethical narrative

However, the narrative is undergoing a genetic mutation: Europe no longer finances gastronomic “nationalism”. To obtain funds, it is no longer enough to say that a product is good or traditional; it must be ethical. In this context, marketing is shifting from flavor characteristics to social benefits, with budgets often “ring-fenced” (restricted) for ecological transition themes. The mandatory story angles are now dictated by the Farm to Fork strategy:

Environmental sustainability: reduction of the carbon footprint and low-impact methods.
Animal welfare: high and certified standards throughout the entire supply chain.
Organic regimes: the promotion of organic as a pillar for the planet’s future. Agencies today are forced to transform dry technical protocols into emotional storytelling capable of competing with the direct marketing of American or Pacific-based players.

Parallelly, the map of priorities is also changing. East Asia and Southeast Asia are the priority targets with 16.3 million euros. The reason is strategic: the Asian middle class sees in Italian cuisine not only luxury, but a guarantee of food safety and traceability—fields in which DOC, DOP, and IGP certifications have no rivals. Conversely, the approach towards North America (9.3 million) is predominantly defensive. Here, campaigns act as a shield against the “Italian Sounding” phenomenon, educating consumers to distinguish the authenticity of real Italian cuisine from local imitations.

The engineering of success: beyond execution, strategic Governance

Forget improvised creativity. These projects are rigid structures divided into 8 “Work Packages” (WP) that analytically map out every phase of the funnel, from PR (WP2) to B2B trade fairs (WP6), down to the point of sale (WP7), where every step is coded and monitored according to rigorous European standards. The true competitive breakthrough, however, lies not in simple bureaucratic execution, but in the strategic Governance of whoever orchestrates these flows.

Agri food marketing funnel Spencer Lewis for Italian cuisine — Strategic marketing funnel diagram showing the Work Packages (WPs) used to drive global awareness, consideration, and purchase actions for Italian cuisine brands.

In this complex ecosystem, Spencer & Lewis acts as a true “One Agency”, capable of governing the entire funnel through its hubs and an international network spanning over 20 countries. Emblematic is the 3.6-million-euro project won for the promotion of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium in the United Kingdom. As the executing body and general contractor, Spencer & Lewis does not limit itself to executing Work Packages, but acts as a strategic partner that orchestrates this vast network of expertise to maximize business results, challenging itself directly on objectives and bringing added value that goes beyond the single operational task, turning every initiative into a multi-year growth engine for brands within the complex post-Brexit international landscape.

The effectiveness of these massive investments is not simply presumed or declared, but rigorously certified through scientific evaluation protocols. The EU regulatory framework demands that an independent, third-party evaluator, such as the prestigious Nomisma Institute, methodically analyzes the real macroeconomic impact and the actual shift in brand perception within target markets. This process ensures that the 205 million euros injected annually into the system are not just an expense, but produce a traceable, quantifiable, and sustainable return for the entire European agri-food ecosystem.

Why food has become a geopolitical act

The excellence of Italian cuisine does not survive on global markets just because of taste. Behind every slice of prosciutto or wheel of cheese consumed in Tokyo, there is a massive financial architecture and a planning strategy that leaves nothing to chance. Europe has decided that food is a political act and a powerful tool of global influence, a reputational armor to defend the value of our supply chains.

The next time you choose a certified DOC, DOP, or IGP product, will you ask yourself whether you are doing it for the authentic flavor of Italian cuisine or because a sophisticated European marketing algorithm decided it was time to win you over?

Strategic communication isn’t about what you write. It’s about what you decide

Posted on May 27, 2026 - 9:53 am by Flaminia De Leonardi

Corporate Governance and Strategic Communication Model

by Massimo Romano

Today, talking about strategic communication means dealing with a scenario where the winner is not the one who produces the most, but the one who makes better decisions. When your competitor becomes your best press office, you probably haven’t just run a good campaign. You have made—or suffered—a strategic decision.

The recent event involving Iliad and Fastweb is a perfect example of how communication today is no longer played out solely on the execution level, but on that of strategic choices.

Iliad uses Megan Gale, a face that belongs to the collective imagination of Italian telephony. A simple, recognizable operation, almost automatic to decode. On its own, it would have remained within the boundaries of advertising.

It was Fastweb‘s reaction that completely changed the trajectory of the campaign.

In an attempt to limit its reach through a formal warning, Fastweb turned it into news. They pushed it outside of the planned media spaces and inserted it into the public conversation. This triggered a mechanism very close to the so-called Streisand effect, whereby the attempt to block content inevitably amplifies its visibility.

At that point, the campaign completely changes its nature.
It is no longer “the commercial with Megan Gale”. It becomes “the commercial that someone wants to stop”.

And this is where a dynamic increasingly typical of contemporary communication is activated: in the attempt to limit content, one ends up amplifying it.

Those who hadn’t seen the campaign start looking for it. Those who probably wouldn’t have talked about it begin to discuss it. The advertisement exits its planned spaces and enters the public conversation. Whether it was a fully conscious choice or an instinctive reaction matters little. The point is that, from that moment on, the trajectory of the campaign is no longer defined by creativity, but by the decisions made around it.

The true blind spot of communication

This episode highlights a structural problem in contemporary communication. Companies are increasingly equipped to produce content. They have tools, teams, processes, and platforms. But they are much more rarely structured to govern the decisions that such content generates.

In an accelerated context, where everything can become visible in a matter of minutes, the pressure to react is continuous. Every stimulus seems to demand a response. Every attack, a stance. And often, this reactivity is mistaken for strength.

But reacting is not always a strategy. Sometimes, it is the reaction itself that generates the problem.

The paradox of noise

This is the exact same paradox we already observed when talking about AI Slop: in an ecosystem where producing content is easier than ever, the risk is not communicating too little. It is communicating without a direction.

Under pressure, many companies fill spaces. They publish, reply, and maintain a presence. But when communication is born to occupy a timeframe or a channel, rather than from a strategic choice, the result is inevitable: noise.

From Forum Comunicazione 2026 to operational reality

At the Forum Comunicazione 2026, this theme emerged with great clarity. Marketing is no longer just execution, but choice. And choice is not only about what to say, but also—and above all—what not to say.

In a context where data is increasingly abundant and accessible, another paradox emerges: we have more information than ever, but often less capacity to make decisions. The difficulty lies not in gathering data, but in translating it into a clear direction. In simplifying what is complex. In making choices that, by their very nature, are not simple, understandable and relevant.

From execution to governance

This is where the most important shift takes place. Strategic communication does not fail because it is poorly executed. It fails when it is driven by impulsive, fragmented, or ungoverned decisions.

For this reason, the issue today is no longer just executive. It is about governance.

Understanding when to intervene.
Understanding when to let things fade away.
Understanding when a reaction truly defends a brand and when, instead, it ends up amplifying the problem.

At Spencer & Lewis, we work exactly at this level of communication: helping companies read the context before reacting, governing decisions and not just content. Because today, control does not belong to those who speak the most. It belongs to those who manage not to get dragged into other people’s narrative games.

Choice as a competitive advantage

In contemporary marketing, the difference is not between those who communicate well and those who communicate poorly. It is between those who react and those who decide.

In the Iliad–Fastweb case, one decision amplified the message. The other knew how to ride that amplification. And that is exactly where you see the true level of contemporary strategic communication: not in the quality of execution, but in the ability to govern what happens around it.

Because when everything can be said, the true competitive advantage is knowing what not to say.

In public relations, the highest heights are reached on the ground (and over a cup of coffee)

Posted on April 28, 2026 - 10:27 am by Flaminia De Leonardi

by Daniele Pernella

The airline industry is, by definition, all about speed. It is a hyper-dynamic sector, driven by algorithms, route optimization, and price wars. But in a market where routes and prices quickly tend to become indistinguishable, the true competitive advantage in public relations is increasingly shifting to an intangible realm: trust.

This is where communication and public relations come into play. Because today, an airline doesn’t just sell flights; it sells reliability, reputation, and the ability to reassure the public, local communities, and stakeholders.

In a market driven by urgency, the real challenge isn’t to be the fastest, but to be the most attentive. At Spencer & Lewis, we know that turning a simple business transaction into mainstream news requires the boldness to shape the news cycle. It’s not about shouting louder than everyone else, but about taking the time to transform a technical detail into a narrative that truly resonates with the community.

Staying relevant in airline public relations means turning technical data into stories that add value to the local community

It is often thought that capturing media attention is a matter of spontaneous timing. The reality is quite different, because the real strength lies in the strategic ability to capitalize on current events to align the brand with issues of social and economic relevance.

Let’s consider the aviation sector, for example, with the launch of a new route from Fiumicino to a country in Eastern Europe: the traditional PR approach would simply involve announcing schedules and fares, resulting in a purely promotional announcement.

The strategic approach, on the other hand, focuses on reputation. That same route is presented in terms of its actual impact, highlighting the increase in local jobs, the strengthened connection to the airport hub, and the services provided to specific communities.

At Spencer & Lewis, we work with this approach in mind: transforming operational data into news that generates reputational value and public relevance.

From a simple messenger to a trendsetter: the strategic significance of the news

For a news story to break out of the trade press and go mainstream, it must be unique. The public relations consultant’s job is to understand the specific significance of this newsworthiness in order to reach the most strategic media outlets. Sending the same press kit to hundreds of contacts is a standard yet outdated practice that only ends up in the trash.

A technological innovation on board shouldn’t be promoted everywhere, but rather targeted at authoritative industry publications; the introduction of pet-friendly policies on flights, on the other hand, finds its perfect audience in lifestyle magazines. Understanding the right angle for the right media is what transforms a news item into a strategic asset. It’s not about getting more coverage, but about securing a presence in the contexts that truly shape brand perception.

The need to “break through the screen barrier” in public relations

To achieve this level of impact, simply pitching via email or phone calls may not always be enough. Journalists are inundated with generic communications, which is why it’s essential to break through the screen barrier using formats such as Media Breakfasts, for example.

These are not merely social gatherings, but a hybrid space—suspended between the formal and informal spheres—where the brand can physically connect with the media. The human relationship is built through a deliberate process. It begins with a targeted invitation and the prior sharing of topics, is strengthened through handshakes and eye contact, and culminates in the release of high-quality, in-depth content.

We recently witnessed a perfect example of this chemistry: during a media breakfast, a journalist had the opportunity to engage in a lengthy conversation with the airline’s international manager. Although they came from different backgrounds and countries, meeting in person allowed them to “connect.” What was supposed to be an informal chat sparked an extraordinary ripple effect, leading to an in-depth interview, which in turn resulted in the manager being invited to speak at an exclusive industry event.

Reputation is a long-haul journey

Building a brand’s reputation—in the aviation industry as in others—means understanding that the invitation and the interview are just the beginning. True value is forged through human interaction and is reflected in the quality of the resulting content. Our role in public relations is not merely to identify strategic media outlets, but to steer the process so that every message becomes a cornerstone of the company’s credibility. Just as an airplane needs a control tower to fly safely, a brand needs public relations guided by vision, method, and human sensitivity.

Because in complex markets, it’s not the one who communicates the most who wins, but the one who knows how to manage their reputation best.

The crisis is not an emergency, it’s the real test for your company

Posted on March 27, 2026 - 10:34 am by Flaminia De Leonardi

by Matteo Tivegna

From emergency to strategic pre-occupation: how invisible work, team synchronization, and lucidity transform Crisis Management from a first-aid kit into a true test of leadership.

In the language of corporate communication, the word crisis is almost always associated with a specific image: a fire to put out to limit the damage. In a market obsessed with performance and the “blackest t-shirt”, a crisis is often experienced as a failure to hide. This reactive approach is profoundly misleading, because crises don’t arise suddenly; they emerge when a latent tension meets an unprepared context.

At that moment, it’s not the extemporaneous speed of response that makes the difference, but the quality of the preparation.

The moment of truth: Strategic Crisis Management as an authenticity test

There is a widespread belief among corporate boards: a crisis is a failure to be hidden, a deviation from the brand’s positive narrative. Yet, when media attention focuses on a company, communication ceases to be a narrative construct and becomes a test of authenticity. Any room for ambiguity vanishes, and this is the moment of maximum alignment between what a brand claims to be and what it actually demonstrates itself to be. In this sense, a crisis managed with awareness is not an opportunistic opportunity, but the means by which the solidity of what has been built beforehand becomes evident.

In Italy, crisis management is often approached as an emergency function, trying to adapt generic tools to specific contexts only after the damage has occurred. At Spencer & Lewis, we believe that the speed of the first public response — often required within an hour to avoid silence being read as a lack of control — is only the surface. What makes a response truly effective is the invisible work that precedes it. The most decisive element is the synchronization of people. A team must build a deep preventive “attunement” on values and on the client’s decision-making context before the emergency. Defining a clear crisis committee means knowing in advance who decides, who validates, who communicates, avoiding every step becoming an exhausting negotiation.

The value of being calm in times of crisis

Those who have never experienced a crisis imagine management as a frantic sequence of decisions, but the most precious quality in those moments is only one: calm. Management and the internal team experience the situation with a very high level of emotional involvement and stress. In this context, the role of the external consultant becomes fundamental precisely because it offers a different perspective, helping the leadership regain lucidity. In complex scenarios like those managed with Costa Crociere, where attention becomes global in a few hours, the difference does not lie in the frenzy of actions, but in maintaining a clear line: what to say, what not to say, and above all, why. Sometimes the greatest support is reminding the client to breathe, slow down, observe the full picture before reacting.

Companies must stop limiting themselves to reactive defense and start developing a true strategic pre-occupation, anticipating sensitive issues and monitoring weak signals to build fact-based narratives. A common mistake is, in fact, considering the crisis as an isolated event, when in reality many critical or social issues tend to recur over time, revealing themselves to be deeply cyclical. When a company develops true governance, it stops limiting itself to reactive defense and moves to a strategic pre-occupation. This means anticipating sensitive topics, monitoring weak signals, and building in advance a narrative based on data and facts, transforming vulnerabilities into opportunities for clarification.

From AI to leadership: a human responsibility

In the coming years, Artificial Intelligence will play an essential role in the early detection phase and in the simulation of risk scenarios. However, the risk is thinking that technology can replace human judgment. Machines recognize patterns, but they do not possess empathy or cultural context. The responsibility for evaluating reputational implications will inevitably remain human. In the end, crisis management is not a technical discipline, but a form of leadership. When the unexpected arrives, companies do not need someone who “does more”, but a partner who helps them decide better.

Author Archives: Flaminia De Leonardi