2020

The Mondadori Group has redesigned its Trade Books Area under the leadership of the chief executive of Mondadori Libri S.p.A. Enrico Selva Coddè, with the aim of pursuing growth and development opportunities for its publishing houses.

“We have defined a new organisational model that will enable us to respond more effectively to the central challenges in trade publishing, a sector in increasingly rapid evolution, also at the international level,” declared Enrico Selva Coddè. “A necessary change to look to the future of the country’s leading cultural industry with the innovative approach that has always characterised our publishing houses,” Selva Coddè concluded.

Consequently, two new crossover departments have been created that will report directly to Enrico Selva Coddè.

The first, the department of General Operations, will be headed up by Filippo Guglielmone, with the aim of orienting the business at the highest possible level of cost efficiency and service possible; operations and sales will be integrated in a single process to drive value generation and make it possible to optimise time-to-market, increase customer satisfaction and facilitate the growth of the publishing houses.

The second, the department for Strategic Marketing, Rights and Acquisitions, to be led by Lorenzo Garavaldi, aims to reinforce the company’s role in the publishing market through analysis and the definition of market strategy, the coordination of acquisition activities and the identification of development priorities.

Reporting to Enrico Selva Coddè, the publishing houses will also absorb product marketing activities giving them all control over communication, in line with a scenario in which the enhancement of authors’ work is part of a single publishing effort that goes from the title to readers’ comments.

The publishing houses are led by Francesco Anzelmo, General Manager of Mondadori; Ernesto Franco, General Manager and Editorial Director of Einaudi; Massimo Turchetta, General Manager of Rizzoli Trade and Publishing & Rights Development; Stefano Peccatori, General Manager of Sperling & Kupfer, Piemme and Mondadori Electa, and Lorenzo Garavaldi, General Manager of BU Ragazzi.

What will it be like going back to classes? 83.7% of the students who responded to a Studenti.it, survey say that they are concerned. In fact, of these, 41% think that everything will be more complicated in September while the remaining 42.7% are uncertain what will happen.

The biggest concern is about the health aspect: 45% wonder whether it will be safe to return to school, while a small percentage (8%) is worried that they will not be able to catch up with the syllabus. For  30% of those interviewd by Studenti.it lessons should have started up again before 14 September, in order to recoup what has been lost during the health emergency.

On the side of Italian students for more than 20 years, Studenti.it is preparing to go back to school and accompany kids as they make their return also by responding to their most frequent questions: How will we re-start? How will entrance tests be managed? How will we get to school and how will our habits have to change? Up-to-date editorial coverage will be available on the site, with a back to school special, everything new in the school calendar, as well as advice and suggestions for the choosing a university, with dedicated formats such as the new orientation podcasts and the Facebook group for the medical school entrance test. There will, of course, also be weekly surveys to have a picture of what students are feeling and their expectations for lessons, plus a new schedule of live social media events “Tg Scuola“.

During the health emergency, with lesson suspended across the whole of Italy, digital became essential for students, teachers and parents. In response, Studenti.it increased and expanded its offer with an enormous quantity of free content and constantly available didactic resources, such as video lessons with study tips, a series of  podcasts “Studenti Explains”, a new way of exploiting online notes that reached  100,000 listeners per month and live social events with experts and YouTubers.

All of which has led – for the Mondadori Brand – to a  30% increase in the site’s traffic compared with last year (Source: Google Analytics, average March-April-May), arriving, in the month of April, a month of total lockdown, to 5 million unique users, +34% compared with April 2019 (Source: Total Audience April 2020), and an increase of 50% in views on the YouTube channel compared with the same period of last year.

Donna Moderna will be on newsstands this week in a special edition entitled Talento Italiano (Italian Talent). In fact, the Mondadori Group magazine edited by Annalisa Monfreda has decided to support Made in Italy: buy Italian, travel in Italy, but also get to know our country’s big little stories of tradition and innovation as a new form of solidarity to offer concrete help to the country.

“In these strange times, marked by the health emergency, we have started to look more closely at what surrounds us,” explained the editor Annalisa Monfreda. “And we have discovered stories, flavours and colours in our neighbourhoods and cities. We have remembered that Italy is an exceptional country where you can travel for years without ever having to take the same road, where you can taste the outstanding food and wine of every province and find products that have become cults across the world. With this issue we want to celebrate the inexhaustible creativity of a country that derives its nourishment from its history to project itself into the future.”

The magazine

Each section of the special issue of Donna Moderna looks at a different aspect of Made in Italy. Starting from the “donne moderne” (modern women) of the week, three virtuous examples of female entrepreneurship: Maria Flora Monini, director of Comunicazione Monini, Carlotta Bevilacqua, CEO of Artemide, and Daniela Galetti, head of the management of supercomputer systems at the Consorzio Interuniversitario Cineca. Meanwhile, 9 women who symbolise Italian genius pose for an exceptional fashion feature, wearing only clothes and accessories of Italian brands. They include: Anna Fiscale, President and Founder of QUID, Viviana Varese, starred chef from the restaurant Viva,  Antonella Bondi, creator of perfumes, Tiziana Aranzulla, one of the world’s top ten  cardiologists, Carolina Vergnano, CEO of Vergnano, Vania Zoppé, ‘woodswoman’ and TV presenter, Grazia Di Franco, bar lady, Roberta Simone, producer of video clips, and Michela Cambiaghi, Serie A footballer of Sassuolo. In beauty, the feature Baci da…Cartoline dall’Italia, (Wish you were here… Postcards from Italy) presents beauty products that recall the colours and smells of 5 summer destinations, including Stromboli, Porto Cervo, Capri and Taormina. Then, of course, there are columns dedicated to cooking and the excellence of Italian food and wine with six female chefs who reinterpret some typical recipes. Then there is a section entitled La bella Italia dell’estate 2020 (Beautiful Italy in Summer 2020) with many suggestions of places to spend the holidays: from Liguria to Tuscany, from the South Tirol to Veneto and Umbria, as well as cruises in the Mediterranean. But we also talk about trends and lifestyle in furniture, Italian design icons that give our homes character and reinvented classics that have typified our way of living. Plus, there is a special survey on the Italian Silicon Valleys – with everything that is new in super-tech Made in Italy and technological hubs that are unique in the world – e and our universities that are climbing up the most prestigious international rankings thanks to the Polytechnics (of Milan and Turin), departments of outstanding excellence, the quality of research as well as the appreciation of our graduates by employers. The special issue ends with DM Like, a selection of small stories of innovation from around the country.

#talentoitaliano

The issue’s storytelling continues also online: on the web site and on social media there are the interviews with the three ‘modern women’ of the week, video stories on travel and beauty products, suggestions from the six chefs about the mistakes not to make in the kitchen, while the nine models from the fashion feature take part in a #talentoitaliano challenge and reveal the adjectives which for them best represent Italy.

“Talento Italiano is just the first of three special issues of Donna Moderna, in a project that will continue in the autumn,” announced Andrea Santagata, General Manager of Mondadori Media. “An innovative way of doing the magazine that confirms the brand’s extraordinary capacity, as a point of reference in the women’s segment, to reach its audience with complete, circular and multi-channel communication.”

“We are extremely pleased with this idea, because the Talento Italiano initiative by Donna Moderna, in addition to the important editorial value that it offers, is also a great opportunity for many companies from around the country who have shown great interest and participation in the project,” commented Davide Mondo, chief executive of Mediamond. In fact, the advertising sales for this issue have seen a 40% increase compared with a similar initiative last year, with over 60 adv. pages and numerous special productions on digital and social media, online from tomorrow, Thursday 9 July.

Thanks to its unique mix of practical advice, first-hand testimony and live daily coverage, Donna Moderna is always at the side of its readers and their needs, reaching a total audience (magazine and web) o 14 million net users each month (media impact data fusion December 2019 on Audiweb and Audipress figures), to which should be added over 2 million fans on social media with 1.4 million interactions per month (Source: Sensemakers May 2020).

What will holidays be like for Italians post Covid-19? The answers can be found in a survey conducted by the travel site Zingarate in a snapshot of how and where we have decided to spend the coming summer months.

The Mondadori Group’s digital magazine dedicated to “smart travelling” is the leader in the travel sector with a monthly average of 1.6 million unique users (Source: Audiweb) and also has the biggest travel community on social media, with an overall total of 1.5 million followers between Facebook and Instagram.

The Zingarate survey, in which some 1,500 users participated, shows that despite the health emergency, 61% of Italians will certainly take a holiday. Around 30% are optimistic, while 9% will certainly stay at home either for fear of infection of financial difficulties.

While the majority of the sample (64%), will leave only if they can secure good deals, 29% will not have a  budget limit because “the important thing is to get away!”.

Only a few (8%) will make use of the holiday bonus made available by the government: 43% of Italians would like to take advantage of this, but they don’t know what the rules are and the remaining 49% will not be able to use it because they don’t qualify.

Holidays in 2020 will be short (in fact, 47% will not take more than a week) and the destinations will be in Italy: the majority will go to other regions of the peninsula (47%),  6% will stay in their own region, and another 6% will go abroad, while 41%, respecting the rules, say they would go anywhere. The most popular destination this year is Sicily (16%), followed by Puglia (12%), Tuscany (11%) and Sardinia (11%).

But what are holidaymakers looking for in 2020? For over 56% of Italians nature and relaxation are the answers given to Zingarate, while 20% said they would prefer heritage cities and cultural activities. Around 16% are looking for beaches and fun, while 7% want to eat and drink well. For the remaining 1% the holidays will be an opportunity to make new friends.

Finally, organisation. Some 80% of the sample will plan their holidays on their own, but there are also those who will take advantage of online packages (14%) or make use of a travel agent (6%). Hotels are the most popular form of accommodation, chosen by 36% of the sample. This is followed by holiday homes (28%), B&B and hostels (23%), camping and campers (10%), while the remaining 3% of Italians will stay with friends. Most Italians (62%) declared that this year they will use their own vehicle, car or motorcycle, while 32% will go by train and/or plane, 4% will travel with a camper van and 2% claim they will spend their holiday on a bicycle.

Zingarate rediscovers Italy and Europe with alternative itineraries to the traditional tourist routes, small towns, castles and fortified villages, with hiking, trekking and cycling routes, as well as low cost weekend suggestions. Special care has always been given to engaging, original, high-quality videos featuring some of the most beautiful places in the country and to Europe’s great capitals. The summer special provides all the rule for going to the beach and the seaside post Covid-19.

Mondadori Store, Italy’s most extensive chain of bookshops, will expand its network of franchised stores with a plan of new openings that is mainly focused on the central and southern regions of the country.

Ten new stores will open this summer, increasing the unique offer – in Campania, Puglia, Lazio, Sicily and Marche – of books, reading recommendations, activities and events with personalities from the worlds of literature, music and entertainment that characterises Mondadori Store bookshops.

“In recent months our booksellers have been working energetically to ensure that Italian families continue to have access to our editorial offer, confirming, once again, the important socio-cultural role of bookshops.
Today, our commitment to sustaining and supporting the diffusion of book and reading is made even more concrete thanks to new entrepreneurs who have chosen to be part of the Mondadori Store network at a particularly important time for the country’s entire economic and social system,” declared  Carmine Perna, chief executive of Mondadori Retail.

In both large cities and small towns, the Mondadori Group company that manages the bookshop chain extensively covers the whole country and every year serves – between its stores and on the web site Mondadoristore.it – over 20 million customers.
The model focuses on the quality of the buying experience, multichannel services and events, with the needs of the customer-reader always at the centre.

So, the news from the Mondadori Store network includes, the opening in the coming days of the new Mondadori Bookstore del Vomero, in a new location in Naples: a large bookstore on three floors, in the heart of the Vomero district. The reopening of the store in Naples adds to the recently inaugurated store in Cava De’ Tirreni (Salerno) inside the Cavese shopping mall. July will see a new Mondadori Bookstore in Santa Maria Capua Vetere (Caserta) in the main street in the centre of the town, and a Mondadori Point in the historic centre of Angri (Salerno).

Another three shops will open in July in Puglia with new Mondadori Points in the centre of Gravina di Puglia (Bari) and Alberobello (Bari), and a new Mondadori Bookstore in the main street in the historic centre of Francavilla Fontana (Brindisi).

Other regions that have seen the opening of new franchised Mondadori Bookstores include: in Lazio, where there is now also a Mondadori Bookstore in the Boccea area of Rome; in Sicily, with located in the centre of the city on the seafront; in Marche with the opening of a Mondadori Bookstore in Fermo, in the pedestrian precinct of the city’s historic medieval centre.

Even more Italy from McDonald’s: again this year, all restaurants will serve McChicken Variations, sandwiches with 100% Italian chicken breast the result of the combined experience of Italian cooking of GialloZafferano and the unmistakeable taste of McDonald’s.

From today, in all 600 of McDonald’s restaurants in Italy two new sandwiches will be available, in addition to the original classic McChicken recipe. L’Audace, with smoked scamorza cheese, made from 100% Italian milk, grilled and sliced Italian pepper and a sauce with onions and Modena IGP Balsamic Vinegar; Il Goloso, with 100% Italian bacon and a delicious yellow tomato sauce.

The two new recipes, jointly created by GialloZafferano and McDonald’s, are a confirmation of the latter’s role as a partner of the Italian agri-food sector. In fact, to produce the recipes, the company has bought from Italian suppliers  28 tonnes of peppers, 17 tonnes of yellow tomatoes, 17 tonnes of smoked scamorza cheese – from a total of 1.7 million litres of Italian milk -, 44 tonnes of Italian bacon, 2 tonnes of Modena IGP balsamic vinegar and 170 tonnes of Italian chicken breast.

“In 2019 we decided to launch this new project with the support of a partner of the standing of GialloZafferano, which every day enters the homes of millions of Italians to teach them some of the best recipes from around the country. This challenge was well received by consumers and in just 10 weeks over 8 million customers chose the sandwiches that were created by our partnership,” declared Mario Federico, chief executive of McDonald’s Italia. “This is why we are today announcing the second part of the projects, with two new recipes featuring even more of Italy.”

“The fantastic response we received from over 8 million users and consumers was for us proof of the successful formula that underlies this partnership that began last year. We are renewing it now with even more enthusiasm, being able to count on the fundamental values that unite us to a partner of excellence like McDonald’s: innovation, in which GialloZafferano has long been a pioneer and precursor in the food sector, constant attention to the enhancement of taste and the Italian territory, a passion for quality ingredients, which we share every day with our community through the faces and the chefs of  GialloZafferano. In addition, for us, this project is a perfect example of our model of a social multimedia company: strong and much-loved brands, such as GialloZafferano, able to capture the passions and interests of users, creating communities of individuals to whom they can propose unique content, products and experiences,” declared Andrea Santagata, general manager of Mondadori Media.

“The project has evolved from a traditional advertising approach to embrace in a range of branded content contexts. At Mediamond, we are delighted that McDonald’s has recognised the value of an approach able to address the launch of a product with editorial models that are fun and able to engage both the audience and conversions,” declared Davide Mondo, chief executive of Mediamond.

To mark the launch, the new McChicken Variations will also be the protagonists of a live event on social media that will take place today at 5 pm on the Facebook and YouTube profiles of GialloZafferano.

Manuel and Giovanni, well-known faces from the site, will share with the community of food lovers the unique ingredients of these new recipes, to sample and recreate, bringing the McDonald’s kitchen to Italian homes.

The selection of top-quality products for the new McChicken Variations also underpins a storytelling project developed by the GialloZafferano team which, on board an Apecar, will accompany users on a tour of McDonald’s factories, to discover the excellence of 100% Italian food products.

Icon will be on newsstands from tomorrow with a special feature “A love letter from the fashion community to the World“: over eighty pages by the leading creatives from the world’s top brands, produced exclusively for the community of readers of the Mondadori Group’s magazine of fashion and lifestyle.

With this special issue, Icon wants to give voice to an Italy that is looking to the future beyond its borders and as a fundamental medium for companies that want to strengthen their presence both nationally and internationally.

“We are in the middle of something of epochal significance, also for the fashion sector, a profound crisis to which only a special response will do,” declared the editor of Icon Andrea Tenerani. “I am convinced that the Italian fashion system has both the characteristics and the capacity to the savoir faire of the retail chain and the quality of its raw materials. For now, it is important to look to the future keeping in mind what made us great in the past.”

The June cover story is dedicated to Charles Leclerc – the Ferrari F1 driver, with an exclusive portrait by the photographer John Balsom – who talks to Icon in a special three-way conversatione with Giorgio Armani and the magazine. A discussion that takes in how the world is changing, the young, cars, the future of style and Made in Italy and the concept of timeless elegance as it encounters new generations.

It’s time for Italian fashion companies to get going again: Icon dedicates a thirty-page report to new products and successful strategies, from the productive chain to retail, with a look at innovation and sustainability.

For lovers of cars, Icon Wheels makes a return, with 16 pages featuring the most exclusive new proposals from the world of cars and motorcycles, with previews, interviews with the protagonists and the most iconic and desirable models.

The Icon Instagram channel  Icon  has successfully launched Icon Play Live hosted by Andrea Tenerani: a cycle of live events on social media that has featured guests such as the actor Brenno Placido and the leader of Negramaro Giuliano Sangiorgi, with the extraordinary participation of  Saturnino.

Grazia, the leading 100% Italian fashion brand, with 20 international editions, is on newsstands this week with a special issue: Riaccendiamo i desideri (Rekindling desires).

What are Italians dreaming about after the months of the coronavirus emergency? Thanks to an exclusive survey and in the words of influential personalities, the magazine edited by Silvia Grilli reveals what our desires and ambitions for this summer are.

“During the lockdown, we only wanted one thing: to be safe and to protect our families. The shops were closed, the restaurants too, we couldn’t travel, not even to go and visit our grandparents. All of our normal freedoms were sacrificed on the higher altar of safety. Then, slowly, Italy started to re-open almost everything. With many restrictive measures and precautions, but we could g back to visiting relatives and friends, to travel and go shopping, we will soon also be able to dance again, in the open air. And Italians have discovered that they are happy to meet again. In fact, this special issue of Grazia is dedicated to our desires and the joy in rediscovering them. We are not all the same, thank heavens. There are those who during the lockdown have reconfigured their priorities, discovering that they want another life. Others, meanwhile, couldn’t wait to pick up where they left off. Some have written that the coronavirus has made us better. I don’t think so. However, for sue it has made us understand better who we are and what we want,” writes the editor Silvia Grilli in her editorial.

In this special issue Miriam Leone confides that she spent the lockdown reflecting on her ambitions and the possibility of a different pace of life. The magazine also met Diego Della Valle, president of the Tod’s group, who outlines his vision for the months we can expect after the emergency and talks about the opportunities to seize in order to give a leg up to Italian creativity. And, naturally, there are voices from politics: the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Paola De Micheli, talks about the hope required to give new life to Italy.

And among the desires is a new way of living at home, with the rediscovery of intimacy during the pandemic: so emerging designers tell Grazia about new projects. And, above all, among the big desires there is fashion, which, in this week’s Grazia, focuses more than ever on imagination and the joy of living.

With this new project Grazia further enhances the path it has taken during the lockdown and confirms its role as a unique, multichannel brand, able to reach its audience with a complete and circular communication: dal magazine ai social network, from the magazine to social media, and from the web site to the Mediamond DOOH circuit

Grazia special issues

With the Torneremo ad Abbracciarci issue and initiative in March, Grazia wanted to underline a virtual embrace between China and Italy: not merely hope for a new spring, but also a symbol of sisterhood between populations. A special issue which, in the midst of the emergency, brought together testimonies of positivity and energy, of human warmth and strength, of hope and gratitude; an issue that gave space to both celebrities and readers on social media and gathered messages from the editors of the magazine’s 20 international editions to Italy and the world. But Grazia is also fashion: and on the pages of Torneremo ad abbracciarci Grazia China dedicated a photo shoot to Italy with the wish that the country would quickly overcome the difficult moment it was going through. Along with digital operations, the issue recorded 50,000 downloads and +70% in copies, compared with the previous issue.

Subsequently, in May, it was #Facciamocisentire, a campaign launched on social media to ensure that the emergency would not undermine women’s rights campagna. Numerous personalities signed up to the campaign, including faces from the word of fashion, politics, cinema and entertainment, and, in just a few days, achieving a reach of 75 million users.

With the recent Non dimentichiamoci del Pianeta issue, Grazia brought together experts and activists so that the battle against global warming doesn’t fall into second place, given that, after Covid-19, countries everywhere have been reassessing their priorities.

Instagram live

The very popular Instagram live events have been, and continue to be very successful, in which the editor of Grazia Silvia Grilli interviews personalities from the cinema and fashion, including cover stars such as  Elisa Maino (with an average of 5000 followers linked during the live show).

DOOH Mediamond

The desire to get back to normal will also give rise to an editorial initiative that will involve selected partners: #iovorrei (I would like). An ode to joy and personal gratification that also takes in the finally rediscovered possibility to get back in touch with our favourite brands. And in order to interpret this collective desire to get back into the world Grazia will extend the visibility of the initiative across the territory, close to some of the most iconic sites of Milan, using the Mediamond DOOH circuit. Four imposing led walls that are part of the company’s external visibility circuit will feature content related to the initiative, in other central areas of the city: Gae Aulenti, Tortona, San Babila and Garibaldi. Coverage of the city of Milan confirms the brand’s capacity to be close to the community during the rediscovery of the territory and of shopping.

For 500,000 Italian students, tomorrow sees the start of the much anticipated Maturità – the final year high school diploma exams – that will also be the first experiment of being back in the classroom after months of distance learning. But it will be a first for the state exam and very different from the past, in that it will be held according to the new rules dictated by the health emergency and, above all, will involve only the oral exam.

Studenti.it, a digital point of reference in Italy for the world of education, asked over 10,000 users of the site what they thought about the upcoming exams: for 59% of the interviewees the exam will be easier, while 41% think it will be more difficult. So, an exam that is seen as a relief for Italian students, followed, however, by a more complex autumn. In fact, some 27% of students, say that they have changed their plans for September because of the Covid-19 emergency: 7% have given up the idea of studying away from home, a further 7% will no longer take up study options abroad, while 13% have changed their minds about which type of course to follow.

Data from the survey show that those finishing high school in 2020 expect an exam based on what they have actually studied: and 18% are convinced that the multi-disciplinary path previously defined with teachers will help them to face the most difficult test, the oral exam.

STUDY MATERIALS AND LIVE SOCIAL EVENTS WITH EXPERTS

Helping Italian students prepare for and pass this important milestone for more than 20 years, Studenti.it, the Mondadori Group brand, with over 4.3 million monthly users on Audiweb and a Facebook page with around 500,000 fans, supports students with updates and news, replies to their most frequently asked questions, video lessons and new podcasts on the syllabus of the last year of high school which, in one month, has totalled 100,000 downloads.

Studenti.it has also developed the format TG Maturità, a schedule of live Facebook events in which teachers and experts alternate providing advice on how to prepare and face the exam.

 TWO SPECIAL MATHS TEACHERS

Lorenzo Baglioni, the artist with a degree in mathematics, and Elia Bombardelli, a maths teacher, very popular on YouTube, have produced a highly entertaining double-interview for the social media profiles of Studenti.it (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2853418641450164) talking to candidates about the exam and on the subject of mathematics, together with useful advice and suggestions. Plus,  Lorenzo Baglioni has added a lighter touch with a new version of the song  Maturandi, this musical project, a co-production with Studenti.it, last year became the anthem of the  Maturità (with more than di 1 million listens on the web and on social media), out in this new form with a special dedication to all those who will take the  exam in 2020, in the middle of considerable adversity.

Finally, this afternoon, on the social medial channels of Studenti.it (Facebook and Youtube), an exceptional student will send her special best of luck wishes, live to all candidates: Eleonora Gaggero, class of 2001, YouTuber, actress and writer, who herself will be facing the maxi oral exam of the  Maturità 2020.