Media

Focus launches a series of online courses to become an expert in generative artificial intelligence

Training courses designed for those who are approaching the world of AI for the first time and also for those who already have advanced knowledge

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand that serves as a point of reference for scientific dissemination and entertainment, has set a goal of bringing audiences closer to the most important technological revolution of our time: artificial intelligence. With this aim and in collaboration with PromptDesign.it, it is launching MYIA, an innovative series of online courses dedicated to learning and using generative AI for everyday life.

The offer includes 3 video courses organised in levels of increasing complexity: basic, intermediate and advanced. These training courses are designed both for people who are approaching the world of AI for the first time and for those who want to deepen their skills and become experts in the use of advanced tools such as ChatGPT, Claude and DALL-E.
With MYIA, users will learn how to make the most of artificial intelligence, improving their productivity, optimising professional work or simply exploring new creative horizons.

The courses offered by Focus are the ideal opportunity for anyone who wants to dive into the future of technology and understand how artificial intelligence is transforming society and the working world. The course is taught by Jacopo Perfetti, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, author of several essays and Fellow of Innovation at SDA Bocconi, and Federico Favot, co-founder of the PromptDesign.it platform, screenwriter and creative producer, and host of the ‘Hacking creativity’ podcast.

The courses do not require prior technical skills and are fully available online through a dedicated platform. The lessons, which are all recorded, can be followed and reviewed at any time, for maximum flexibility. At the end of each course, a personalised certificate of participation is issued, certifying the skills acquired.

THREE CUSTOM COURSES

Each course is divided into 6–8 lessons and are always available in the personal area on the myia.academy website. Additional materials and slides that summarise the basic concepts can be downloaded for each lesson, along with pdf files of the pages of Focus used for exercises and tests.
1) BASIC: Introduction to Generative Artificial Intelligence. Participants who are new to artificial intelligence will learn the basics of generative AI and how to use models like ChatGPT. The course explains fundamental concepts such as creating effective prompts, the impact of AI on society and the conscious use of technology, providing participants with a solid foundation for using AI tools.
2) INTERMEDIATE: Prompt Design Techniques and the Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence. This course is intended for people who are already familiar with AI. It focuses on prompt design techniques and the use of different AI models, such as Claude and DALL-E, to generate images, analyze documents and automate processes. Participants will learn how to fully leverage the potential of personalised GPTs and AI tools.
3) ADVANCED: Master in Prompt Design and Automation with Generative Artificial Intelligence. The advanced level of MYIA is aimed at people who wish to become true experts in artificial intelligence. This course explores innovative solutions for generating content, images, audio and video with tools such as DALL-E. It provides the skills needed to integrate AI into complex projects and automate tasks.

MYIA also offers artificial intelligence courses for teachers, created by Mondadori Education and Rizzoli Education with Formazione su Misura. This is an exclusive project dedicated to the practical application of AI in the world of education. And coming soon: AI courses for children in collaboration with Focus Junior.
Further information on the learning pathways and purchase prices of individual courses, as well as the various packages, are available on the myia.academy website.

Focus, in all its forms, is the leading dissemination brand in Italy, with a fanbase of over 7 million users (Social Media Account + Focus Creator), more than 3.3 million unique users (source: Audiweb 2023), a monthly circulation of over 127,000 (source: Ads, January–July 2024) and more than 3.1 million readers every month (source: Audipress 2024/2). 

Webboh Lab: 15,000 teenagers responded to a survey on glass recycling conducted for Coreve

They were divided into 4 groups: proactive, utilitarians, theorists and poets of transformation

Three out of four teenagers always separate glass.

Another 20% do it 'often' and only 5% do it rarely or never.

Young people who don't recycle list the following reasons: 38% don't think about it, 21% have someone to do it for them and 14% think there is not enough information about it.

Webboh Lab, the first permanent observatory on Gen Z born from Webboh‘s meeting with the Sylla research institute, involved 15,000 teenagers, aged between 14 and 17, to collect opinions, behaviours and perceptions regarding the topic of glass recycling and the use of packaging created with this material. The survey, conducted by Webboh Lab for CoReVe – the national consortium for the collection, recycling and recovery of glass packaging waste in Italy – highlighted some key points of interest.

VIRTUOUS BEHAVIOUR AND AWARENESS

The survey showed that three out of four teenagers (more than 76%) always separate glass, while only 5% said they rarely or never do it. Of these: 38% do not separate glass because they don’t think about it, 21% have someone to do it for them and 14% believe there is not enough information about recycling.

Glass recycling is very common among teenagers, as they generally prefer the use of glass packaging as it is more sustainable.

Young people are taught correct behaviours, such as separate waste collection, by their parents and schools, making it a recognised and widespread practice. Most interviewees believe that the good example of others and more information can motivate us to improve the collection of glass.

The data analysed also showed that two out of three teenagers (67%) are aware of the possibility of endlessly recycling glass without losing quality, while 65% of them are aware that incandescent bulbs and crystal glasses cannot be recycled together with ordinary glass. Finally, 85% of young people know that recycling a glass bottle reduces air pollution by 20% compared to that produced to make a new one.

As regards behaviour in Italy, 56.8% of interviewees believe that Italians pay enough attention to separating glass and that it is very important to do so (70.9%). 60% of children think that in 10 years glass recycling will be more widespread and 74.7% are in favour of penalising those who do not separate glass from other waste.

GROUPS:

Expansion of the answers obtained with respect to issues related to glass recycling and environmental sustainability has made it possible to identify four groups of adolescents with similar answers on in-depth topics.

Proactive recyclers (34%)
They are young people with a strong pragmatic and proactive tendency towards glass recycling, and are highly motivated and hands on as regards the actions taken. They attach great importance to protecting the environment and reducing pollution: they are extremely aware of the environmental issue and are convinced that recycling glass is a great help. In general, they are consistent in their behaviour towards sustainability, consumption choices and daily practices of waste separation, reuse and recycling of materials. They actively correct other people’s incorrect behaviour and they also agree to sanction those who do not separate their waste. They ask for more information to encourage separate waste collection and the virtuous example of influencers and famous people.

Recycling utilitarians (28%)
Teenagers in this group focus on the functional and utilitarian aspects of recycling, but they are much less motivated when it comes to issues related to environmental sustainability. They recognise the importance of glass as a material that is not harmful to the ecosystem and are familiar with recycling bins. Despite this, they are not particularly motivated by the concept of recycling or by the environmental impact that it may have. They are a little less virtuous as regards separating glass than the average person. To stimulate recycling, they propose economic incentives and are against the introduction of penalties for those who do not separate their waste.

Recycling theorists (23%)
Those that are disenchanted with recycling and are the least interested in the issues of recycling and the environment.
They reveal a more poetic and symbolic vision of glass, attaching a special value to its purity and its capacity for rebirth, however, they are less virtuous in separate waste collection, finding it complicated and demanding and remaining less sensitive to the issue of environmental sustainability in general. They claim to be motivated to recycle glass for its infinite reuse but are less concerned with practical details, such as using the correct bins or removing caps.

Poets of transformation (15%)
The young people belonging to this group are very involved in the issues of environmental sustainability and are very aware of related issues. They differ from the first group, the proactive recyclers, for their more romantic and idealistic vision: they see glass as a poetic and special material, and they prefer glass packaging for its unique characteristics. They are the most informed about correct glass recycling practices. They recycle much more than the average person, they are in favour of any incentive that promotes the dissemination of good practices and they are also in favour of penalties for those who do not separate glass correctly. Finally, they adopt, in general, a sustainable lifestyle and feel like active protagonists, attaching importance to the correct management of glass, since they are motivated by the environmental value of recycling.

The survey is very interesting and allows us to understand what young people think and how they behave,” stated Gianni Scotti, President of CoReVe. “In general, there is alignment among children between environmentally sustainable behaviour, environmental awareness and glass recycling. Almost all of them – as many as 90% – think that the climate crisis is a serious matter and that glass recycling is a fundamental part of reducing pollution. But CoReVe’s challenge is speaking to the 5% that rarely recycle to make it clear what a waste of environmental and economic resources it is not to recycle glass properly. The work we are doing with influencers, creators, schools and territories goes precisely in this direction. Italy’s good recycling rate is, in fact, not taken for granted but must be maintained and, if possible, improved. This is why it is essential to know what Gen Z thinks and what behaviours they adopt,” Scotti concluded.

“This research has attracted a lot of interest among children, it is a generation that is well informed on and aware of environmental issues. The analysis of the data allowed us to identify 4 groups of teenagers with similar answers to the in-depth topics, each with a different leaning towards glass recycling. This has made it possible to collect very targeted information for the customer,” says Furio Camillo, Scientific Director for Sylla. “Webboh Lab confirms itself as a very effective tool for the strategy, marketing and communication of brands and companies that find an interesting target in Gen Z.”

Webboh is the flagship media for Gen Z. Created in April 2019, it has been part of Mondadori Media since February 2023. It currently has a fanbase of 4.5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp, 70% of which are under 24. The website receives 3 million unique monthly users (source: Audiweb last quarter 2024). It is in the top ten most influential Italian media companies on social media, as well as the first targeting Gen Z for engagement and video views (source: Italian Top Media Rankings for First Communication made by Sensemakers). The topicality, authenticity and interest generated by the content is guaranteed by a bottom-up editorial model: the community is involved in every part of the creative process.

Webboh Lab, a partnership between Webboh and the Sylla research institute, with Scientific Director, Professor Furio Camillo, is the first Permanent Observatory on Gen Z. Webboh Lab’s commitment is to gather the voice of the younger generation, investigate and explore issues to convey them to those who make decisions for them, the adults of tomorrow.

Mondadori Media at Intersections 2024: an interactive experience involving AI, creativity, value proposition and news for brand partners

● The first ever immersive storytelling in the world of GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, The Wom and Webboh thanks to virtual reality

● With PLAI, the Mondadori Group’s accelerator, and five of its startups, Gen AI is becoming an inspiration for new business ventures

Mondadori Media, the leading Italian multimedia publisher on social media and digital, will feature at “Intersections 2024” on 29 and 30 October, the new event resulting from the union of IAB Forum and IF! Italians Festival, dedicated to digital innovation, marketing, communication, creativity and technology.

Mondadori Media will be present at stand 36 with the innovative experience “Immergiti. Direzione futuro.” experience for completely new discovery, and with its top media brands, including Fatto in casa da Benedetta, which has just joined the Group, and at stand L3 with the latest innovations in the MarTech area. Another unmissable event is the PLAI workshop that will present some of the AI startups selected for the first acceleration cycle (Yellow Room 1).

IMMERGITI. DIREZIONE FUTURO.”STORYTELLING TO DISCOVER MONDADORI MEDIA’S TOP MEDIA BRANDS

Thanks to the excellent setting offered by Intersections, Mondadori Media will offer participants the opportunity to discover behind the scenes of GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, The Wom and Webboh through four interactive apps created with Apple Vision Pro, Apple’s mixed reality viewer (Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality), which has not yet been released in Italy.
This is an innovative spatial computing experience which, by eliminating the distance between the screen and the visitor, will make it possible for the first time to enter the heart of content creation processes and to immersively explore the potential of successful brands in the fields of food, the world of women and beauty, wellness and new generations. Visitors, wearing the visor, will be able to enjoy a first-hand experience of all the stages of storytelling used to create projects of all kinds and virtually interact with the creators involved. Whether it is social content or live activities, the direct and immersive contact between guests and brands will leave an intense impression of the various facets and forms through which content created by individual brands is brought to life.

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERACTIVE EXPERIENCE IN THE WORLD OF BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT

Offering a comprehensive and original overview integrating the latest technologies with creativity and value proposition, the four immersive paths will also illustrate successful case histories in the world of branded content and entertainment in a captivating manner. These projects and sponsored content are created by Mondadori Media in collaboration with Mediamond and its unit dedicated to special initiatives, Brand On Solutions, and numerous partner companies.

NEW GEN AND AI: THE WEBBOH LAB SURVEY

Intersections 2024 will also be an opportunity to present the new survey revealing the truth about AI, carried out by Webboh Lab, the first scientific and marketing research panel focusing on Italian youth and teenagers. Of the 12,000 respondents, 55% said they had concerns about both the tool’s reliability and the potential risk to employment. The full research will be unveiled during the event at the Mondadori Media stand.

ON THE MAIN STAGE: THE OPENING OF INTERSECTIONS WITH NICOLÒ FAMIGLIETTI

Intersections 2024 will be opened by Nicolò Famiglietti, the first Italian Beauty Fitness Trainer Ambassador of MypersonalTrainer and part of the Power Talent Agency team. With an energising workout, Famiglietti, from the main stage of the plenary, will help the audience to start the day with the right physical and mental energy and to fully experience the event by exploiting the intersections with inspiration, creativity and innovation.

PLAI AT INTERSECTIONS 2024

PLAI, the Mondadori Group’s startup accelerator aimed at transforming ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures, will also attend Intersections 2024: PLAI’s CEO Stefano Argiolas will give a talk entitled Unveiling Innovation: Generative AI as a Tool for Crafting New Business Ventures on 29 October at 10.30 in Yellow Room 1. 5 of the 11 startups selected for the first acceleration cycle will join him on stage.

ADKAORA AND THE MARTECH AREA: APPOINTMENT WITH MOBILE INNOVATION

AdKaora and Hej!, the digital companies of Mondadori Media’s MarTech area, leaders in mobile innovation and proximity marketing, will exhibit the latest in conversational marketing and integrated campaigns at stand L3.
On 29 October at 3 p.m. in Blue Room 2 there will also be a workshop by AdKaora entitled “From online to in-store with mobile coupons: L’Oréal’s multi-channel retail strategy” in which the following topic will be addressed: how to engage loyal shoppers by transforming the drive to store into an in-store retail strategy.
The Apple Vision Pro apps were created in collaboration with Impersive, an agency specializing in the production of immersive videos for virtual reality, and film production company Brandon Box.

 

Mondadori Media is Italy’s leading social and digital publisher, with a distinctive positioning and audience on the publishing market. The Mondadori Group’s social multimedia company caters to the passions of the Italian people through its brands – food, beauty, fashion, health and wellness, science and tech – and reaches more than 25.5 million unique users every month (source: Audiweb Total Digital Audience average month 2024) and over 128 million followers (source: Comscore Shareablee and social insights September 2024). 

Webboh Lab, a partnership between  Webboh and the Sylla research institute, with scientific director Professor Furio Camillo, is the first Permanent Observatory on Gen Z. The Webboh Lab’s commitment is to gather the voice of the younger generation, investigate and explore issues to convey them to those who make decisions for them, the adults of tomorrow.

PLAI is the Mondadori Group startup accelerator that aims to transform ideas based on the use of artificial intelligence into successful entrepreneurial ventures. PLAI offers them a distinctive field of application and an industrial market both within the Group and with the initiative’s partners. PLAI operates in the pre-seed and seed phases, selecting and investing in Italian and international startups. In addition to capital, the accelerator provides startups with concrete areas to apply AI, structured training and mentorship courses, and the opportunity to participate in networking events, partly thanks to the unique set of skills and assets provided by major Italian and international partners.

AdKaora is a digital company leading in mobile innovation which offers effective tools and solutions from a multi-channel perspective to brands and publishers to reach, engage and influence their target audience, bringing concrete and measurable results. AdKaora mixes data-driven qualitative audiences with exclusive adv formats, created by AdKaora Creative Studio, which record high results in viewability and engagement, certified by third parties. Depending on the objective, activate the right audience through first-party data from the proprietary DMP or location-behavioural, vertical and premium publishers of the AdKaora Value Network. The strong technological component is the plus for Proximity Marketing strategies. AdKaora enables and integrates the best technologies on the market with consolidated proprietary assets, offering an end-to-end Advanced Proximity Suite. Savi’s mobile couponing integration makes it possible to reach the last mile of the consumer shopping experience, influencing consumer behaviour, and measuring user activation from online to offline.

Hej! is a tech company specialised in conversational marketing. It has reinvented the conversational experience, exploiting artificial intelligence on different levels. Through its unique proprietary platform, Hej! offers innovative advertising solutions covering the entire customer journey, with the goal of achieving tangible and measurable results for brands. Hej!’s advertising formats and engaging marketing tools create a direct channel with consumers by activating authentic conversations that guide users all the way down the purchase funnel. Hej!’s conversational marketing is an effective tool for profiling a target that is openly interested in brands and proactively interacts in a one-to-one conversation that makes it possible to obtain valuable information on their identikit and generate leads or hyper-qualified sales linked to specific campaign objectives and measurement KPIs.

Mondadori Media joins Meaningfool, the new generation creative agency that helps brands grow in an increasingly vertical world

Mondadori Media, Italy’s leading multimedia publisher in digital and social media, is taking a new step in its growth strategy by joining Meaningfool, the new generation, high-tech creative agency founded by Fabio Padoan.

Meaningfool was born as a response to the market’s new needs to integrate the most popular channels, languages and formats – such as TikTok and vertical videos with the involvement of creators – within brand and communication strategies and brand storytelling, with an omnichannel creative approach, which is also performance-oriented.

In addition to having a highly experienced and talented team, starting with its founding partners, Meaningfool is also an innovative start-up that invests in the creation of new AI models to help with efficiency, productivity, content scalability, but also to increase the creative and productive possibilities of social advertising campaigns.

Meaningfool’s vision is encapsulated in its name: on the one hand, the importance of the meaning, not only of the communication content produced for companies, but also of why it is produced; on the other hand, the idea that in order to win the challenge of garnering attention and emerge from the background noise of content, it is necessary to create something ‘foolish’, i.e. creative.

“In an increasingly articulate and rapidly changing market, it is essential for a publisher like Mondadori Media, even after the recent acquisition of Fatto in casa da Benedetta, to also have a dedicated creative structure, with a highly qualified team specialised in the world of social advertising and new video languages”, stated Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media and Chief Innovation Officer of the Mondadori Group. “In this context, Meaningfool represents an innovative reality with high development potential, whose growth we want to support, but also because of its ability to generate synergies with the activities we already take part in, with talent agencies such as Zenzero and Power, the social brands of Mondadori Media and Hej!, our agency specialising in AI and performance advertising”, concluded Santagata.

For Meaningfool – which as of today sees Mondadori Media as a new shareholder, with a minority stake – this is a second round of investment: the first took place when the company was founded thanks to the support of a group of angel investors from the media and tech world.

“We have only been in existence for a few months and Mondadori Media’s decision to invest in Meaningfool is a great act of trust but also a sign that we are on the right path”, says Fabio Padoan. “For us, entering an advanced digital system like Mondadori Media’s means multiplying synergies and presenting companies with increasingly complete and effective solutions and projects. It is only by joining forces, skills and diversity that we can create tangible changes and generate a positive impact in companies but also in the lives of the people we address every day”, concluded Padoan. 

Many new features for GialloZafferano focusing on multichannel communication and international appeal

Launch of GZ Lab, the observatory on Italians’ relationship with food and cooking

From this month, an all-new version of the magazine dedicated to recipes

New chef creators in the roster dedicated to the American market and new formats with Universal Marketing for a stronger Italian presence at the Fancy Food Show

GialloZafferano, Italy’s number-one food media brand with more than 70 million followers worldwide, announces an autumn filled with exciting news that once again confirms the strong, multi-channel, innovative approach that has made the brand a major benchmark for cooking enthusiasts, including at an international level.

Launch of GZ Lab

Building on its relationship of trust with its community, which in Italy alone numbers more than 35 million followers and 17 million unique monthly users, GialloZafferano is launching GZ Lab, the first digital observatory of consumption and trends related to cooking in Italy, a tool to investigate and learn about Italians’ opinions, interests and habits when it comes to cooking.

As a first step, GZ Lab explored Italians’ relationship with food and cooking in cultural, social and personal terms through a questionnaire, developed together with the Sylla research institute, which received more than 8,000 answers in one week. Various interesting aspects emerged:

  • food as a fundamental resource for physical and mental well-being: for 84% of those surveyed, food choices are guided by weight control, allergies or intolerances, and ethical or religious reasons;
  • the return to a domestic approach to meals, experienced as a time to express your creativity and show affection towards others: in the past year, 27% of people have increased the number of times they eat at home and 54% have decreased their online food orders;
  • a focus on limiting expenses: for 21% this is a factor that guides their food choices, without compromising on exploring new horizons and discovering new flavours thanks to high-quality ingredients and attention to the way dishes are presented;
  • more than 30% of the respondents associated cooking and meal preparation with a gesture of love and care directed towards others, as a connection with the world to build and consolidate bonds, and towards themselves as personal growth, a path of experimentation, curiosity and discovery.

Full results are available here.

An all new version for GialloZafferano Magazine

Starting this month, Italy’s most popular cookery magazine with over 80,000 copies per month and more than 1.5 million readers, is presenting itself to the public in a new version adapted to readers’ demands.

Its pages devote even more space to recipes, with a step-by-step approach that ensures that they are easy to follow and more closely linked to GialloZafferano’s website and social media channels. There will also be even more contributions from ambassadors, resident chefs, bloggers and brand creators, including Luisa Orizio, Sebastian Fitarau and Azzuchef, who are all featured in this month’s issue. GialloZafferano Magazine also presents new columns and special features, such as themed sections dedicated to the local area and industry events, offering visibility opportunities for partner companies.

To mark the magazine’s renewal, a digital campaign was carried out involving more than 50 GialloZafferano bloggers and strong visibility in retail outlets and large-scale retail trade.

GialloZafferano in the United States

After taking centre stage at the recent Summer Fancy Food Show in New York with showcooking, original content and performances designed and staged for major Italian food brands, GialloZafferano is expanding its roster of chefs and culinary talents active in the United States with the addition of Bilena Settepani and Daniele Uditi to the team. Awarded by Iginio Massari in 2023 as one of the best pastry chefs on an international level, Bilena Settepani is Executive Pastry Chef of the famous Settepani Bakery in New York, whose creations based on the Italian confectionery tradition are appreciated throughout the United States. After moving from Caserta to Los Angeles in 2010, in 2017 Daniele Uditi opened the first “Pizzana”, a brand that has now become a chain with 7 locations in California and Texas, which are frequented by prominent figures from the American jet set.

The new chef creators of GialloZafferano, managed by Zenzero, Mondadori Media’s talent agency, will further strengthen the presence of Italian cuisine in America, including through the creation with Universal Marketing – the exclusive organiser of Italian companies’ presence in the Fancy Food Show halls – of a new trade fair experience for our cuisine, already starting from the next Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas, in January 2025.

GialloZafferano is also announcing the start of an editorial collaboration with Alessandra Ciuffo, known on social media as Flavors by Ale. Alessandra, whose profile now has over 900,000 followers, grew up in New York, started cooking when she was just three years old and has made a name for herself in the industry by sharing her passion for cooking, cooking techniques and everyday moments with her close-knit Italian-American family.

GialloZafferano is Italy’s leading food media brand on the Internet. 1 in 2 Italians cooks with GialloZafferano, which reaches an average of 17 million people every month (average month Audicom 2024). It is the fourth largest food media brand in the world on social media, with a fanbase of almost 71.5 million followers (source: Shareablee-Comscore and Social Insights, August 24). Thanks to recipes within everyone’s grasp, it is available to people 24/7 on all channels: from the Internet to social media, from apps to smart devices, as well as magazines, books and local events nationwide.

Qeeboo and ‘Interni’ Celebrate the Architect and Designer Andrea Branzi on the First Anniversary of his Death

At the Queeboo loft ‘Equilibri Instabili’ [Unstable Equilibria], a special event to preview a collection of unpublished objects and a new book dedicated to the designer

Qeeboo and INTERNI, the interior and contemporary design magazine published by Mondadori Group, commemorate Andrea Branzi with Equilibri Instabili, a special event to inaugurate an exhibition of unpublished objects and present a new book dedicated to the designer.

Thursday, October 10, Qeeboo Loft in Milan will become an exceptional stage for remembering the great architect and internationally renowned designer one year after his death. On display will be four unreleased collections, some in limited editions — carpets, cushions, ceramics, and metal objects — designed by Branzi for Qeeboo, a brand founded by Stefano Giovannoni, Andrea’s friend for more than thirty years.

‘Qeeboo once again confirms its focus on innovation and research, keeping the memory of one of the brightest minds in the world of design and architecture alive,’ says Stefano Giovannoni.

For the event, the volume Equilibri Instabili, curated by the architect Matteo Vercelloni for INTERNI and published by Electa, will be presented. The volume collects more than two hundred texts by Andrea Branzi written and published in INTERNI, a permanent observatory on the culture of design and architecture that the author collaborated with from 1979 to 2023. This anthology of articles and essays is accompanied by a few of his drawings, retracing forty years of reflections on the ‘project’ and broader changes in society through dialogues, portraits, and interviews with leading figures in design and criticism. Topics such as the city and the metropolis, modernity balanced between technology and animism, but also reflections on teaching, art, and suggestions for politicians are just some of the numerous ‘acrobatic’ topics — as Branzi liked to define them — and cultural fields that the author approached and always presented in clear and immediate prose.

‘This collection, unlike other publications by Andrea Branzi, may appear eclectic, but it actually expresses a wide-ranging freedom of thought, unconstrained by a specific topic and therefore fruitful and rich with references, synergies, and skilful interdisciplinary elixirs,’ explains Gilda Bojardi, Director of the INTERNI System. ‘His approach to the world of the project, which is revealed in these writings presented in clear prose understandable to every reader, has always been based on close observation tied to the anthropological-cultural scene around us. As Branzi reminds us, the history of design has never been just a history of objects, but also a history consisting of thoughts, religions, politics, and people.’ For Gilda Bojardi, hers with Branzi was ‘a special friendship that lasted over time, contributing to my professional growth from the very beginning through discreet but indispensable advice. His advice accompanied me in a world that did not belong to me and where the directions he suggested constituted valuable forays into new and unexplored territories. So a big thank you, Andrea, for always giving us not writings, but capsules of wisdom.’

This extraordinary event represents an important moment to highlight the value and role of Branzi’s thought in architecture, urban planning, and contemporary design, with the participation of Stefano Giovannoni, designer and founder of Qeeboo, Gilda Bojardi, Director of the INTERNI System, Matteo Vercelloni, architect and curator of the book Equilibri Instabili, and Nicoletta Morozzi, among others.

The objects on display, including the limited editions, can be purchased at www.qeeboo.com. Equilibri Instabili will be available in bookstores starting on October 22.

 

ABOUT QEEBOO

Founded in 2016 in Milan by Stefano Giovannoni, Qeeboo is an Italian design brand. His objects are the result of a design culture that combines thought, vision, and emotion, leading individuals to feel free to reconnect with their creative side. With a touch of pop, wonder, and culture, Qeeboo creations are designed to enhance each individual’s style, bringing originality to every environment while maintaining a strict attention to detail and final quality.
For more information, visit www.qeeboo.com

INTERNI

A monthly magazine with a circulation of 50,000 copies, publishing began in 1954 as the first Italian periodical dedicated to interior decoration. Today INTERNI is one of the main communication tools in contemporary Italian and international design, essential for professionals and design enthusiasts. In 2024 it will be celebrating its first seventy years, during which it has been fortunate enough to share in the fantastic and adventurous history of Italian furniture and interior design. It has closely followed the growth expressed by design through the intuition and work of brilliant cultural figures, capable and courageous architects, designers and entrepreneurs. In the early 1990s, the monthly magazine became part of Mondadori Group, Italy’s leading publishing group, and a system of parallel publications have developed over time under the editorship of Gilda Bojardi, transforming the magazine from elite media to mass media. Activities by INTERNI also include the development and coordination of events and exhibitions organised to foster interaction between the different people involved in design, production and distribution. The famous FuoriSalone, an urban event that enlivens the city of Milan during the week of Salone del Mobile, was organised by INTERNI in 1990. It celebrated its 30th edition in 2021 with the publication of Volume XXX-Y 30 anni di FuoriSalone | 1990-2020 Milano Design Stories (Electa). Following the start of publication of INTERNI in China (2015), the expansion of international editions is planned. INTERNI is a communications partner of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka | The Ideal City.

McDonald’s and GialloZafferano together for the new edition of McChicken Creation: a successful and growing partnership

45 million sandwiches sold in six years of collaboration

The 2024 edition of McChicken Creations sees the arrival of McChicken Delizioso and the return of McChicken Gustoso: two recipes inspired by the classic McChicken made with 100% Italian chicken breast and excellent Made in Italy ingredients such as Grana Padano PDO and Pecorino Romano PDO

The partnership between McDonald’s and GialloZafferano, Italy’s most popular food media brand, has been renewed for the sixth consecutive year. This partnership, which has led to sales of 45 million sandwiches, is now returning with a new edition of McChicken Creations: two tasty recipes inspired by the original McChicken, available in all of the over 700 restaurants until 28 October.

The two variants boast high-quality Italian ingredients that enhance the classic 100% Italian, free-range, GMO-free chicken breast supplied by Amadori and the bread produced in Italy by Bimbo. The new recipe for 2024, McChicken Delizioso, combines crispy bacon and Italian artichokes, along with “Grana Padano PDO” artichoke sauce; McChicken Gustoso is also back in a Wrap version with crispy bacon, Italian red cabbage and Pecorino Romano DOP & pepper sauce.

The McChicken Creations reaffirm McDonald’s commitment to the Italian food supply chain year after year: in 2023, the company invested around 415 million euro in the sector. McDonald’s commitment is also reflected in its strong ties with the Protection Consortia, with which – thanks to the valuable support of the Qualivita Foundation – it has been working since 2008. Since then, 21 PDO and PGI ingredients have been introduced into McDonald’s menus, included in more than 45 recipes, with a total of 7,000 tons of raw materials used.

The McChicken Creations were conceived by McDonald’s and GialloZafferano, which created two recipes that showcase Made in Italy excellence.

We are proud to re-launch such an important project for McDonald’s. For six years, the McChicken Creations initiative has seen us unite with GialloZafferano in the goal of creating recipes that showcase the quality and taste of Made in Italy ingredients,” remarks Giorgia Favaro, CEO of McDonald’s Italy. “This annual initiative not only strengthens our connection with Italy, but also reaffirms our concrete commitment to supporting the agri-food sector. Partly thanks to the collaboration with the Qualivita Foundation, over the past 15 years our support has enabled us to highlight local excellence, bringing PDO and GI-certified Italian products to our customers’ trays.

GialloZafferano’s partnership with McDonald’s is a truly successful project to which we are particularly committed,” comments Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media. “It perfectly represents some of the key elements that make up our brand’s DNA. These include always offering products that are tasty and accessible to everyone, combining Italian character with innovation, and dialoguing with and entertaining our target audience by developing new communication languages and formats,” Santagata concludes.

The new edition of the McChicken Creations was presented today at a special event at the GialloZafferano headquarters, attended by Giorgia Favaro, CEO of McDonald’s Italy, Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media, Nicola Lussana, CEO of Mediamond, Mauro Rosati, General Manager of the Qualivita Foundation, Stefano Berni, General Manager of the Consorzio di Tutela Grana Padano, and Gianni Maoddi, Chairman of the Consorzio di Tutela Pecorino Romano.

The event also involved GialloZafferano’s top food creators, including Sebastian Fitarau, Luisa Orizio – Allacciate il grembiule, Angello Coassin – Cooking with Bello, Gessica Runcio – Le ricette da Gessica, Andriana Kulchytska and Dany Resconi, who collaborated on the project with a series of exclusive content posted on social media.

The outstanding presenters were the two faces of the Le Iene TV show, Veronica Ruggeri and Stefano Corti, who conducted the event with their distinctive style, involving speakers and participants.

All the activities and visibility plan for the McChicken Creations were developed together with Brand On Solutions, Mediamond’s project area, with the coordination of OMD and in partnership with Leo Burnett, on all digital channels of Giallozafferano, from the website to all social media profiles – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube –, and the app, with the addition of push notifications targeted at McDonald’s drive-to-store and drive-to-app.

“Interni” at Cersaie in Bologna 2024

The interiors and contemporary design magazine will take part in a Cafè della Stampa (Press Café) on Tuesday 24 September 2024 at 3 p.m. entitled ‘The good city: for responsible and generous architecture’

Speaker: Alfonso Femia, architect and founder of Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia AF517

INTERNI is once again this year participating in a Press Café organised as part of Cersaie 2024 in Bologna (23–27 September), the international exhibition of ceramics for architecture and bathroom furnishings. For the occasion, Mondadori Group’s interiors and contemporary design magazine presents The good city: for responsible and generous architecture with speaker Alfonso Femia, an architect and founder of Atelier(s) Alfonso Femia AF517 with offices in Genoa, Milan and Paris. Much of his design and philosophical work is dedicated to water and the architecture of Mediterranean cities.

Along with journalist Patrizia Catalano, Alfonso Femia will speak about the importance of water, a resource that should be everyone’s right but which is often wasted on the well-being of a small part of the population while it is scarce in many countries around the world. The conversation will also highlight how collective awareness of the value of this supreme commodity can lead us to reconsider our values (even those we believe to be inalienable) and imagine new spaces and projects for cities that are made for everyone.

The good city: for responsible and generous architecture will be held tomorrow, Tuesday 24 September at 3 p.m. at the Press Café (Agorà dei Media – Mall 29/30). Gilda Bojardi, director of the INTERNI system will open the event.

The magazine is also celebrating its 70th anniversary with a special display in the Lounge Bar Gardens 25/26 customised with 70 covers. These will then be distributed in poster format at the INTERNI stand.

For information www.internimagazine.it

INTERNI

A monthly magazine with a circulation of 50,000 copies, publishing began in 1954 as the first Italian periodical dedicated to interior decoration. Today INTERNI is one of the main communication tools in contemporary Italian and international design, essential for professionals and design enthusiasts. In 2024 it will be celebrating its first seventy years, during which it has been fortunate enough to share in the fantastic and adventurous history of Italian furniture and interior design. It has closely followed the growth expressed by design through the intuition and work of brilliant cultural figures, capable and courageous architects, designers and entrepreneurs. In the early 1990s, the monthly magazine became part of Mondadori Group, Italy’s leading publishing group, and a system of parallel publications have developed over time under the editorship of Gilda Bojardi, transforming the magazine from elite media to mass media. Activities by INTERNI also include the development and coordination of events and exhibitions organised to foster interaction between the different people involved in design, production and distribution. The famous FuoriSalone, an urban event that enlivens the city of Milan during the week of Salone del Mobile, was organized by INTERNI in 1990. It celebrated its 30th edition in 2021 with the publication of Volume XXX-Y 30 anni di FuoriSalone | 1990-2020 Milano Design Stories (Electa). Following the start of publication of INTERNI in China (2015), the expansion of international editions is planned. INTERNI is a communications partner of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka | The Ideal City.

MypersonalTrainer Days: a third edition with impressive numbers

Over 15,000 visitors, 300 hours of activity, 20 million social reach

The event, organised with the support of the City of Milan, featured great sports champions, fitness gurus and wellness specialists

The great success of MypersonalTrainer Days, the event sponsored by the City of Milan and dedicated to fitness, health, well-being and sport, organised by MypersonalTrainer, a Mondadori Group brand, was held once again this year, a point of reference for 13 million unique users per month and 6 million fans on social networks.

Mypersonaltrainer Days, now in its third edition with the new slogan More Than Wellness, embraced not only health, fitness and wellness, but also beauty and fitfood last weekend (14 and 15 September).
In the beautiful setting of the Arco della Pace and Parco Sempione, in just two days Mypersonaltrainer Days recorded the extraordinary participation of over 15,000 visitors, more than 50 guests and 26 brand partners, with a reach of more than 20 million on the brand’s Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube pages.
500 free events in a 2,000 square metre area in the heart of Milan, 300 hours of activities with the best workouts, master classes, and trendy wellness and beauty practices, talks with leading figures from the world of sport and wellness, and medical consultations in collaboration with the Centro Diagnostico Italiano.
There was large participation in the MYPT Walk, the sports walk in cooperation with Lycia, in which 2,000 people took part.

All these numbers are also the result of continuous storytelling with stories, posts, and interviews made exclusively by MypersonalTrainer’s editorial team and videos on social media and online. This winning formula contributed to a significant result: a media impact of more than 50 million gross contacts thanks to the event’s storytelling on all brand touchpoints, an advertising campaign planned on social media, online, print, radio, and DOOH, as well as very impactful spontaneous media coverage.

“We are extremely satisfied with the success of this third edition. The wave of yellow T-shirts that swept through Piazza Sempione for two days and the contagious enthusiasm with which thousands of people participated in our activities – training sessions, games, branded experiences, talks, masterclasses and walks – were there to witness it. Thanks to the collaboration with the City of Milan and our partners, we have succeeded in achieving the event’s primary objective: to promote the founding values of sport and wellness as much as possible among the citizens and the public that follows us online, through a memorable experience,” commented Daniela Cerrato, Marketing Director of Mondadori Media.

Many guests were present: from multi-award-winning champion Filippo Magnini to Italian flag-bearer at the Paris Olympics Arianna Errigo, Olympic racewalker Eleonora Giorgi, fitness gurus Jill Cooper, Jairo Junior, Federica Constantini, Roberta Vanzella, Nicolò Famiglietti and Silvia Fascians from the roster of Power Talent Agency, and many more. There were interesting events with dietician Paola Stavolone, nutritionist biologist Valeria Severi, and a colour palette counselling session with @Ferschetty (Ferdinando Schetty).

Also from the Power Talent Agency roster, Angelica Amodei, Beauty Trainer at MypersonalBeauty, led and moderated the talks with the experts, while special guest Benedetta De Luca, gender & inclusion editor at The Wom, explained to the audience how it is possible to train yourself to be happy.

Multisport Arena, sponsored by Givova, was a great success, offering families, groups of friends and children the opportunity to try out innovative sports such as Korfball and Floorball, as well as Mini Volleyball, Mini Tennis, 3×3 Basketball and 3vs3 Football. Sunday also featured the spectacular Floorball match involving Spartak Milano.

Visitors stormed the Free Climbing wall, which this year – in cooperation with Dicloreum – was enhanced with special effects and gave every single participant an impressive souvenir photo taken from above.
There was also space for relaxation with Dorelan, which through an immersive experience and a dedicated talk raised the audience’s awareness of the importance of sleep quality for physical and mental health.

New events that attracted a huge number of participants included: the Beauty & Wellness lounge, organised in partnership with Biopoint, Deborah, Dermolab, Lycia and Tesori d’Oriente, and four areas available to the public with a guided experiential journey focusing on make-up, hair and skin care,  and wellness experiences such as aromatherapy and music therapy, allowing visitors to test products on their own skin.

Event partners 

Mypersonaltrainer Days is a Mondadori Media event in collaboration with Mediamond and its unit dedicated to special initiatives, Brand On Solutions. In terms of advertising, the event recorded 30% growth over the 2023 edition. Many companies have come on board as brand partners – not only businesses in the wellness, pharma, fitness, sport and beauty area, but also companies from the food and beverage, automotive and lifestyle sectors – that met the public in customised experiential corners to promote a new and broader concept of wellness.
Main partners: Dicloreum Ice, Dorelan, DR Automobiles, Givova.
Partners: Biopoint, Centro Diagnostico Italiano, Danacol, Deborah Milano, Dermolab, Ente Croato, Euro Company, Farine Magiche con Philips, Garden Gourmet, Gold Collagen, Humanitas University, Initial, Lycia, Rio Mare, Tesori D’Oriente. Technical partners: Aguara, Alpro, Lete and YogaEssential, Centro TAO and Limmi.

The Mondadori Group supported the initiative with talks by authors from its publishing houses and in a dedicated corner of Mondadori Retail.
Media partners: Radio R101
Set-up and logistics were handled by the Area62 agency.

MypersonalTrainer is Mondadori Media’s leading brand in the world of health, wellness, healthy and functional sports nutrition, with 13 million unique monthly users (source: Audiweb Total Digital Audience, last six months) and over 6 million followers on social media (source: Comscore Shareablee and Social Insights August 2024).

 

News at Zenzero: top creator LuCake joins the food talent agency

The talent agency, which exclusively manages the best food creators on the Italian digital scene, expands its roster

As of today, Zenzero, Mondadori Media’s talent agency – a collaboration between Giallozafferano, the most popular food media brand in Italy, Oneshot Agency and 6 top creators (Daniele Rossi, Cooker Girl, Diletta Secco, Rosy Chin, Andriana Kulchytska and Luisa Orizio) – has expanded its roster with the entry of LuCake.

Luca Perego, a young food creator and pastry chef, known on social media as LuCake, has managed to quickly establish himself on the Italian digital cooking scene thanks to his passionate and creative approach to combining tradition and innovation.

His family has deep roots in culinary tradition, especially in baking, thanks to a bakery founded by his great-grandfather in 1903. After attending hotel management school and working for five years in a wedding catering business, he founded LuCake in 2013, a project started on Instagram that soon became a blog and a cooking reference point on social networks, with the aim of bringing pastry into everyone’s homes. Thanks to Food Photography courses, he has perfected his craft, working with cooking magazines and TV programmes such as “È Sempre Mezzogiorno”, “Bake Off Italia” and “Cotto e Mangiato”. His creativity and dedication have established him as one of Italy’s promising young talents. He was even recognised by Forbes as one of the 100 under-30 leaders of the future in 2022. In 2021 he wrote his first book “LuCake. Il mio manuale di pasticceria per tutti” (Mondadori) followed in 2023 by “LuCake. Il mio lato salato” (Mondadori), in which he collected a series of recipes, techniques and family secrets with the aim of bringing professional pastry-making and the art of leavening into everyone’s homes and hearts.

With the entry of LuCake, Zenzero is once again demonstrating the dynamic, innovative approach with which it has established itself, in less than two years, as a reference point for influencer marketing in the food sector.

 

With an ever-growing roster, which now includes 28 talents, Zenzero has become apoint of contact between a hub of top food creators – with 50 million followers – and partner companies interested in tapping into passions, values and new languages through communication channels and special projects that are not limited to social media.