26 July 2022 – Biorepack, the first European Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) consortium system dedicated to biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging, returns with The Bioplastic Garden, a multi-subject campaign created for the Consortium by the marketing and communication agency Connexia.

Created with the aim of raising awareness among all citizens of materials, the correct way to use, dispose of, and manage the end of life of biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging, and the virtuous link between correct collection and organic waste, understood as a resource for soil regeneration, The Bioplastic Garden is all about the dynamic between the end of bioplastic packaging and the beginning of a new life for the Planet.

At its centre is the importance of the separate collection of compostable bioplastic packaging together with wet waste and the subsequent composting process: if these are correctly disposed of and placed in the wet waste container, bioplastics help to generate compost, a fertilising substance that encourages the soil to flourish. Hence the creative idea of a regenerated soil, from which flowerbeds in the shape of a bag, cup and plate, made of compostable biodegradable plastic, are created.

“We are delighted to be renewing our collaboration with the Biorepack Consortium, with whom we have, for some years now, shared a journey of awareness-raising and promotion of good practices for the proper disposal of biodegradable and compostable plastic packaging, sharing issues related to environmental protection and sustainability,” comments Massimiliano Trisolino, Managing Partner for Strategy & Creativity at Connexia. “With the three protagonists of the campaign ‘The Bioplastic Garden’, which started last May and will continue until October in the main national newspapers and magazines, we have chosen to visually communicate the benefits of compost for soil, associating in a spontaneous and immediate way to some of the common waste a soil with a green heart, revitalised by the virtuous cycle of compost production.”

“The three visuals were realised in CGI (computer-generated imagery) using a vectorialisation process. This transformed the images from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, offering a plurality of viewpoints that emphasises the creative concept.”

“The growth in the collection of organic waste and, within it, of compostable bioplastics is essential to help our country increase compost production. This product, which is a result of a circular economy, is now even more valuable in allowing organic matter to be returned to agricultural land, combating climate change and reducing the need to use chemical fertilisers, the cost of which has risen worryingly due to the crisis in Ukraine,” explains Marco Versari, President of the Biorepack Consortium. “For all these reasons, communication campaigns that help citizens understand the importance of correctly disposing of bioplastics represent a fundamental building block for the future of citizens themselves, the environment, and also the Italian agricultural supply chain. We are happy to continue this path of education and awareness-raising using the professionalism and creativity of Connexia.”

7 July 2022 – AssoBirra, the most representative association of the beer sector in Italy, is launching a new creative campaign, conceived by the Connexia agency and developed across different communication touchpoints with the aim of showcasing beer consumption opportunities, breaking down barriers and prejudices.

The aim of the project is to present beer as the meal drink par excellence, with an unmistakable taste that enhances not only flavours, but also moments in life, to be enjoyed in company. Small everyday pleasures – such as a dinner with friends, a walk or a bike ride – become even more special when enjoyed with a beer.

The campaign “Beer, the taste that goes with everything,” developed under the creative direction of Anna Vasta and Adriano Aricò, and with client direction by Francesco M. Ferrario, will be online on AssoBirra’s main social properties from July to October.

The creative story will also be flanked by media strategy activities, realised through ADV flights of 15-second video clips, an influencer marketing campaign and media relations activities that will target young adults above all, showing how beer can become part of everyday life, within a balanced and moderate lifestyle.

“We are proud to present this campaign, which is part of a broader association strategy and one of the aims of which is to improve beer culture in Italy,” comments Alfredo Pratolongo, President of AssoBirra. “With this project we want to tell the story of beer from different perspectives and underline Italians’ desire for gratification, sociality, new experiences and new moments of consumption, both at home and when out and about. There will be a focus on wellness and a balanced lifestyle, which have made beer a natural mealtime drink in Italy.”

“We have been collaborating with AssoBirra for quite some time now and we are very happy to once again be able to support the Association by devising and launching a creative campaign to promote beer culture in Italy,” states Paolo d’Ammassa, CEO & Founding Partner of Connexia. “Our team has done an excellent job in responding to the company’s storytelling needs across different channels and with dedicated tones of voice, highlighting the natural characteristics and the many new opportunities for the conscious consumption of a product that is traditionally associated with sociality and conviviality in the collective imagination.” 

28 June 2022 – The ActionAid Italia digital and print campaign to raise awareness by calling the whole community to ‘active participation’ in bringing about tangible social change is live.

The non-governmental organisation, which is committed to the fight against poverty and injustice globally, alongside 15 million people in more than 45 countries, has renewed its partnership with the Retex Group’s marketing and communications agency Connexia to tell the story of the power of collective action.

Simplicity, clarity, immediacy: the unmistakable and unconventional communicative code of the non-profit organisation is encapsulated in the binomial ME/WE and in the responsible mobilisation campaign that ActionAid is launching  to call civil society to “active participation”. This means communion of intentions, active collaboration, and involvement at all levels, in terms of both individuals and institutions, in pooling all available resources to bring about substantial changes and achieve concrete results in the protection of rights and individuals.

In this spirit, and evoking some of its fundamental values – humanity, solidarity, community – on 24th June, a delegation from ActionAid was received at the Quirinale by President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, bringing to his attention one of the most current and controversial of all social issues: the right to citizenship for boys and girls who grow up in our country.

Under the Creative Direction of Riccardo Catagnano and the brand management of Davide Corti, a campaign was designed to transform ‘I’ into ‘we’, in the projection of its own shadow, rewriting a thousand and one stories and lives through collective action. To make a difference. Together.

“Participation makes people strong and competent. It empowers them to claim their voice and produce changes that would be impossible to imagine and achieve without them. With ME/WE, we call on everyone to participate – because for 50 years ActionAid has not been content with providing aid to communities afflicted by hunger, lack of education, the harshest poverty, and gender discrimination. We want more,” explains Barbara Antonelli, Head of ActionAid Communication Department. “Every person has the right to fight the unjust conditions in which they live and create different socio-economic and political systems. To do this we need to actively participate in building a conscious society. To defeat inequalities, people need to be provided with power, tools and collective spaces, to unite the solitary commitment of individuals in a big WE.”

“To talk about participation is to talk about how, united, we can create a force for change,” comments Riccardo Catagnano, Creative Director & Head of Branded Content at Connexia. “An unstoppable and contagious drive, a collective and powerful energy, to be celebrated and publicised to invite everyone to be part of it.”

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3 May 2022 – Connexia is the exclusive partner of the Quadrifor Bilateral Institute for the training of middle managers in the tertiary, distribution and services’ business sector in its brand repositioning project and the construction of a new corporate identity.

The specialised vocational training and further education sector, which by its very nature is constantly evolving, is now experiencing further strong acceleration due to the pandemic. In a scenario in which companies measure themselves against new contexts and new needs, both personal and professional, the present and the near future of vocational training institutes seem destined to become increasingly ‘hybrid’, in different ways: dual training platforms (in the classroom and via streaming), the need to involve audiences, the proposal of high-value content, the presence of testimonials to support teachers in engaging with course participants by telling their own professional and personal stories.

With the aim of offering its users the opportunity to fully express their professional potential, especially in view of the profound socio-economic changes that have taken place in recent years, Quadrifor is therefore called upon to carry out a profound renewal of the way in which corporate training is narrated, relying on Connexia to analyse the needs and create a new positioning, foregrounding not only Quadrifor’s ability to offer quality, wide-ranging content, but also and above all its ability to listen to the needs of its users, understanding their motivations, interests and aspirations, to design the most effective training courses.

Under the direction of Connexia’s Creative & Branding Director Clio Zippel, the proposal for repositioning and rebranding starts from an analysis of the pre-existing context, with the active involvement of the organisation and its targets (such as training companies, companies, and executives themselves) to assess needs and requirements, through the subsequent construction of key moments:

– The Business Strategy Workshop, which identifies the trajectory of the entity and its future strategies;

– The Value Proposition Workshop, which defines the need for Quadrifor to communicate effectively internally to highlight the competitive advantages and value that the organisation must generate and convey to companies and managers;

– The Brand Workshop, which outlines Quadrifor’s new approach to brand communication, its positioning, purpose and brand idea, to define the graphic evolution of the visual identity and all the main design elements.

“The last two years have been a period of great renewal for us: we realised that the time had come to change approach and design a new, customised, and person-centred training. We wanted to emphasise not only our ability to offer quality, wide-ranging content, but above all our willingness to listen to the needs of middle managers in order to design the training pathway best suited to their objectives,” explains Ilaria Di Croce, Quadrifor’s Director. “Thanks to the consultancy of Connexia, which has followed us with great expertise and willingness at every stage of the process, we have embarked on a path of change that has enabled us to redefine our identity, renew the institute’s image, and enhance the training on offer, which is increasingly in line with the needs of our members.”

“We are particularly pleased with the collaboration we have developed over the past few months, working alongside Quadrifor on the brand’s business model and value propositions, to create a new positioning and review all the main design and communication elements,” explains Massimiliano Trisolino, Managing Partner for Strategy & Creativity at Connexia. “With an awareness of the profound changes that have been affecting the world of training in recent years, we have orientated all our brand consultancy activity towards enhancing the quality of the content conveyed by Quadrifor and making the training proposition as clear and close as possible to the needs of the audience, strengthening the relationship with a view to continuous exchange, through ongoing and accessible paths of growth based on listening and flexibility.”

13 April 2022 – On 6 April, following the Legge Giovani press conference, Regione Lombardia launched a new innovative communication campaign, again exploiting the social network most followed by young people: the TikTok platform. The aim is to promote awareness of the regional law and the Manifesto Generazione Lombardia, the instrument through which young people have sanctioned – and will still be able to develop – the fundamental principles that will have to guide regional policies in the coming years. The new law dedicated to them and recently approved by the Regional Council is also based on it. 

#OkHaiRegione

The project was devised and managed by Connexia, a company of the Retex Group which, through the format #OkHaiRegione, asked six well-known creators of TIK TOK – including Chiara Di Quarto, Daniele Davì, Emma Galeotti, Beatrice Macconi, Giulia D’Aloia and Luca Lattanzio – to support the activity by stressing the importance of following the Generazione Lombardia Manifesto among their thousands of followers, actively helping to build a future that meets their expectations.

In this case, the creative effort centres on the protagonists sharing objectives, dreams and desires that are all too often ignored, but which will be unexpectedly heard and approved by a remarkable representative this time: Regione Lombardia. The videos end with a call to action to become an active part of the process, following the initiatives of the Manifesto Generazione Lombardia.

A message and a campaign whose aim is to support a generation that, more than ever before at this historic juncture, needs support to make its voice heard.

Once again, Regione Lombardia has decided to create an innovative campaign together with Connexia, shirking the more traditional and institutional methods of communication to fall into step with the social network which, today more than ever, provides a benchmark for young people.

Regione Lombardia has a new law “for” young people and “with” young people!

 On 31 March, the first law for and with young people, approved by the Regional Council on 22 March, was finally published in the Official Bulletin. The measure “will have a budget of around 10 million euros over the next three years“. This was highlighted by Attilio Fontana, President of Regione Lombardia, and Stefano Bolognini, Regional Councillor for Metropolitan City Development, Youth and Communication. “The main novelties include the establishment of a Regional Youth Policy Observatory, the creation of a Youth Forum, the launch of new and additional communication and dialogue tools with the new generations, including the establishment of a regional award“.

A process of listening, dialogue, consultation and sharing that began in 2021, with the involvement of many associations representing young people and many representatives of institutional and social actors, led to the joint drafting of the “Manifesto Generazione Lombardia”. In this charter of values, the needs, expectations and main requests reported to the institutions were expressed and thus incorporated as a priority in the regional law.

4 April 2022 – HoMedics, a leading company in the home wellness sector, and Revamp, a London-based brand of hairstyling tools, are renewing their relationship of trust with Connexia by extending their consultancy activity to Search Engine Advertising.

The partnership between the marketing and communications agency of the Retex Group and the FKA Brands Group brands has been a long-standing one, having started in 2016. It initially focused on PR, digital PR and Social Media Content Production activities, but now also extends to the Search Engine Advertising sector. Here Connexia can count on a multidisciplinary team, able to combine monitoring, analysis and strategy using different channels and tools. This collaborative venture has strengthened over time, with significant market results.

The SEA activity aims to increase traffic and revenue on the respective e-commerce platforms of HoMedics and Revamp, through a full automation approach that maximises results thanks to the effect of machine learning algorithms and by exploiting the potential of the Google Marketing Platform. This is the latest integration of Connexia, already a Google Premiere Partner.

Andrea Redaelli, Managing Partner Business Dev & Digital Media of Connexia, comments “we are particularly pleased to renew our partnership with the FKA Brands Group, for which we have ensured the promotion of the HoMedics and Revamp brands for many years. SEA’s activities are an acknowledgement of trust attesting to the superior approach we have both adopted so far and to the fact that we will continue supporting all activities already planned as well as possible. Thanks to our skills and tools such as Google Marketing Platform, we can effectively support the FKA Brands Group as they face major historical challenges now and in the near future. We will ensure a firm focus on developments in the digital world, anticipating, interpreting and exploiting them as well as possible”.

There is also great deal of satisfaction for the FKA Brands group. For a sector such as Beauty, which is already very competitive in itself and which, following the pandemic crisis, has moved ever closer to the digital world, it is essential to be able to focus on a consistent, meaningful online presence, so as to enhance brand values and strengthen the relationship brands have with their audience.

 Dante Cesaro, Marketing Director of HoMedics and Revamp, comments “our ambitious D2C growth objectives required an authoritative partner for the search engine side as well. The synergy of wide-ranging activities which we already manage in collaboration with Connexia and the latter’s extensive expertise in the world of media buying, as well as its undisputed leadership in digital content creation and PR, led us to this choice, in which we are fully confident”.

March 21st, 2022 – Ostello Bello, an innovative generation of hostels founded in Milan in 2011, now a hospitality industry leader offering over 1,000 beds across Italy and Myanmar, has chosen marketing and communications agency Connexia as their brand’s strategic social media channels consultant in Italy.

Working under client director Marta Bensi, the Connexia team is tasked with setting out social media presence guidelines for Ostello Bello and developing the brand’s content and channel strategies, focusing on the social media accounts of two facilities in Milan in particular (including the iconic Piazza Duomo hostel), as well as those in Como, Rome, Genoa, Florence and Assisi/Bevagna.

“We’re really pleased to announce our collaboration with Ostello Bello” says Massimiliano Trisolino, Strategy & Creativity Managing Partner at Connexia. “At a time that’s far from simple for the entire Hospitality industry, Ostello Bello remains an innovative enterprise, which has achieved growth by revolutionising the very concept of the hostel and the hostel experience. We’re set to match that, supporting the brand in developing a promotional roadmap for their content, channels and social media marketing.”

“Every one of our Hostels, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, is a source of content inspiration” says Marco Ficco, Digital Manager at Ostello Bello. “That’s the great thing about people from all over the world sharing spaces and experiences. We’re looking for a way to get those who aren’t there with us at that moment involved in that quirkiness of being together in a hostel. To do this, we felt the need for support in developing a content strategy for our social media channels, and we’re delighted to have chosen Connexia which, right from the start, has proved to be our perfect partner, appreciating the off-the-cuff nature of our content, shaping it and bringing order – without it losing any of its sparkling freshness – within a flexible and effective strategy and publishing system.”

“My relationship with Connexia at this point is long-standing, through different markets, companies and people” says Raffaella Lebano, General Manager at Ostello Bello. “It’s always great when those on the same journey as you are often the same people, with a unique ability to embrace new tones of voice, media and shared inspiration.”

March 7, 2022 – From 15 February to 5 April, the new advert created by Connexia for buddybank, the UniCredit bank designed for smartphones, will be appearing on TV and radio, online and in cinemas.

Bringing his unique and innovative communication style, the star of the show is the one and only Fabio CeLenza. The artist from Abruzzo, known for his comedy “nonsense” dubs, dives into the world of buddybank online and on the air, exploring a different way of “being a bank”.

In the advert, devised under the creative direction of Riccardo Catagnano and the client management of Valerio Frontini from the Retex Group’s communication agency, a consultant is intent on explaining a financial product in a completely incomprehensible language.

A voice-over interrupts the nonsense to say: “Don’t understand bank-speak?” (maybe it’s time to switch to buddybank, the bank that speaks your language…).

buddybank is staying true to its communicative style and disruptive yet simple, contemporary and empathetic tone of voice: the voice of your buddy, someone you can always count on.   Someone who is always at your side, someone who speaks your language, someone who you can trust, and someone who wants to make you smile. Your situation and circumstances do not matter: thanks to its Lifestyle Concierge services from Quintessentially, buddybank is always there to support its customers and make even the most complicated matters seem simple.

Airing on Rai 2, Rai Radio Due, RaiPlay and on the Rai Cinema circuit, the new buddybank campaign has also found a place on Tonica, Andrea Delogu’s new show, which is broadcast in the evening on Rai 2 and is also available on RaiPlay and Rai Radio2, taking a curious and irreverent look at music and musicians, without getting caught up in labels or prejudice. A space that is free from judgment, where guests can talk about themselves and explore their most interesting, creative and personal side: a real tonic for the soul. This branded content project spans 8 episodes, with a particular focus on sensitivity and the issues of diversity and inclusion, which aligns perfectly with buddybank’s values.

7 February 2022 – Decathlon Italy, leader in the design, production and distribution of sporting goods, has once again entrusted Connexia with managing its social channels and brand presence in Italy.   

Initiated in 2017, the synergy between the marketing and communication company, part of the Retex Group, and the French multinational continues on the strength of a common strategic vision. True to its purpose of “be useful to the planet and the people”, Decathlon is building an attentive and conscious dialogue with its Italian fan base, and uses its social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube) to share the four core values that substantiate its brand identity and sustainability ecosystem: vitality, responsibility, generosity and authenticity.

Thanks to a strategic combination of skills and talents, its analytic approach and its innate capacity to originate creative insights, Decathlon confirms Connexia as a communication partner capable of conveying the brand’s constant commitment, including through the numerous initiatives of its own Foundation, to supporting the most vulnerable and spreading good practices in sport.

Some items published on Decathlon Italy’s social media channels:

• https://fb.watch/aZ25eRQn2T/
• https://fb.watch/aYWdXcgYJX/
• https://fb.watch/aYWsfdjC0x/

20 December 2021 – Live from 20 December, the new 3D OOH (Out-Of-Home) campaign for buddybank, UniCredit’s bank for smartphone users.

Running until 6 January in the main hubs of the Lombardian capital, the campaign designed by marketing and communication agency Connexia (Retex Group) will explain buddybank’s ‘Love’ Module which, as well as offering cost reductions on some banking transactions, also includes a Lifestyle Concierge service by Quintessentially, to whom you can forward any type of request via chat 24/7. From booking a table in a restaurant to home delivering gifts, from getting tickets for a concert to cancelling a flight, the Lifestyle Concierge is available 365 days a year non-stop.

The star of buddybank’s unusual 3D OOH campaign is a quokka, a cute marsupial which, because of its features, is known as the happiest animal in the world. The claim, simple and laid-back, is in line with the concept at the heart of ‘buddybank Love’: ‘Zero hassle? Here’s buddybank Love’.

A visual campaign that aims to maximise the performance of the virtual scenarios created by visual communication firm Bluemotion for ClearChannel to produce a short, unforgettable experience: thanks to the principles of anamorphism it is possible to create three-dimensional perception through video devices, video walls or led walls, which are two-dimensional.

By reconstructing an accurate perspective and applying this to a video developed in 3D animation, you get the illusion of depth in a scene.

This illusion transforms and elevates a ‘normal’ 2D monitor into a highly engaging tool by surprising the spectator with a ‘real’ visual impression, like none they’ve ever seen before.

The star of the campaign appears to be rocking about and having a great time on rollercoasters, before launching himself against the walls of canopies and city screens. 

The people of Milan can follow the misadventures of the likeable quokka on  ClearChannel vertical screens across the city and on V.G. Pubblicità horizontal megascreens in the Garibaldi district.

15 December 2021 – Retex, active in the digital transformation and innovation of retail, is pursuing its strategy of growth with the announcement of the acquisition of the marketing and communication company Connexia. The operation will further strengthen Retex’s strategic plan to support brands in the realisation of increasingly engaging and high-value experiences for customers, both digitally and physically.

The partnership between Retex and Connexia is a strategic combination of skills and talents, in different but perfectly complementary and integrated fields, to support the new needs of structured partnerships that are required by brands and crucial for the new market scenarios: business & communication consultancy, technology, digital transformation, creativity, content, media, data and martech.

Digital services to support practical retail, which – thanks to technological innovation – is becoming common in all industries and is no longer only typical of large-scale retail, food & beverage, fashion & luxury, or design.

Retex will acquire a majority share of Connexia and has confirmed the management team at the helm of the agency, with Paolo d’Ammassa as CEO and Massimiliano Trisolino and Andrea Redaelli as Managing Partners, who remain shareholders and will be reinvesting in Connexia.

“We are proud and happy to welcome into the Group one of the brightest and most innovative teams in the Italian world of communication and marketing agencies, whose colleagues hold values that are perfectly aligned to the whole Group.
Connexia will help us to write new success stories, where creativity, content, data, and media will harmonise perfectly with our consolidated technological experience as digital transformation innovators in a practice (that of retail) that must be understood as a combination of technologies and experiences to enable an increasingly “human” connection between brands and people,”
explains Fausto Caprini, CEO of the Retex Group. “We are living in a time of extraordinary transformation: we want to anticipate and govern the cultural changes that are overwhelming entire industries, adopting sustainable innovation paths to support our clients. This is why the acquisition of Connexia is of strategic importance for Retex, bringing new perspectives and different points of view, thanks to a combination of skills and solutions that is unique on the market”.

“At Retex we have found the same entrepreneurial spirit and agile approach to continuous experimentation that has always distinguished us and allowed us to grow the business and reputation of all our client brands over the years,” affirms Paolo D’Ammassa, CEO and Founding Partner of Connexia. “We will work with our new colleagues in the Group to create unforgettable brand experiences that engage target audiences and bring them together organically in successful digital commerce experiences.

We will maintain our status as a benefit corporation: indeed, we are committed to extending this status to Retex, which shares our values related to issues of diversity and inclusion.   

We can’t wait to innovate again, contributing to the consolidation of an extremely valuable Group with a more international outlook and a unique value proposition in the market”.

“I have always said that only companies where people are happy will be able to endure long-term,” adds Marina Salamon, hitherto owner of 80% of the shares through Alchimia S.p.A.. – In Retex, beginning with founder Fausto Caprini and Managing Directors Chiara Laudanna and Andrea Negrin, we have found the perfect companions for a new journey full of passion, values, and a desire for change. These are characteristics that have always distinguished Connexia, throughout its history. This is why we chose each other, and why we embraced the project right from the start: I am grateful to the entire Connexia team led by Paolo d’Ammassa, with whom we have built and innovated so much.  The best is yet to come.”

In 2021 Connexia is set to achieve results that are more than 30% higher than the previous year, at over €23 million. This consolidates a €75 million and €7.5 million Ebitda group, which aims to reach over €100 million by next year.