History of Advertising

Learn more below about the history of Lavazza's advertising campaigns, from the first Lavazza coffee packaging and the early TV campaigns, all the way to the beginning of Lavazza's Paradise Campaign.

Over the years, Lavazza has collaborated with some of the world's greatest photographers for its international Calendar campaigns. Additionally, several of Lavazza's past communications are centered on a synergy between the coffee giant and Armando Testa, a pioneer in Italian advertising.

The beginnings
1946 - 1976
The Manfredi Years
1977 - 1992
One campaign for four
1993 - 1994
Lavazza in Heaven
1995 - Today

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The beginnings

1946 - 1976

Lavazza has always had a flair for innovative communication.
During the first years of business, the media strategies implemented were ahead of their time in Italy. The real breakthrough occurred in 1958, when Emilio Lavazza joined the company and met Armando Testa, one of Italy’s advertising pioneers.

1946

The logo

In 1946, the Lavazza brothers launched the first branded coffee product, giving rise to the first Lavazza logo, which was designed by Aerostudio Borghi.

This marked the beginning of a great story.

1950

The first campaign

In an era when coffee was still being sold loose, the Lavazza first blend was revolutionary, as it was sold in pre-packaged bags, branded with the logo to convey Lavazza's brand image. The first campaign slogan was “Miscela Lavazza... Paradiso in tazza,” introducing a concept that was returned to in later years and developed through TV adverts.

1957

Carosello

In 1957, three years after the advent of television, Carosello was introduced, bringing stories of products from Italy’s economic boom period. Lavazza made a stylish debut in 1965, with Caballero and Carmencita in the leading roles of an ironic and surreal soap opera. “Carmencita you are already mine, turn off the gas and come my way!” Through their stories, Lavazza presented its new blend, Qualità Rossa, and the "pesotondo" (which translates to ‘roundweight’, a term used to describe the Lavazza light-pack format) allowing for a successful competitive advantage over other coffee companies .
(literally ‘roundweight’, a term used to describe the Lavazza light-pack format) to beat the competition.

The
Manfredi years

1977 - 1992

During this time, Lavazza decided to change its communication strategy to strengthen the brand, using television as a new campaign format, where the narrative structure was accompanied by the authority of an endorser. Nino Manfredi, a beloved and popular Italian celebrity, was chosen.

1977

The first endorser: Nino Manfredi

Television, now in color and increasingly widespread, evolved and abandoned Carosello. Lavazza and Armando Testa opted for a television campaign able to maintain a strong narrative structure, while developing the use of a celebrity endorser. Up until 1993, the smiling face of the well-loved Italian actor Nino Manfredi embodied Lavazza coffee.

1978

The Manfredi campaign develops

Nino Manfredi continued to play the leading role in Lavazza's TV commercials, but the narrative began to develop further with the addition of new characters. Lavazza extended its communication beyond the Italian borders, creating its first TV commercials for France, and later, for other European countries.

1
campaign
for 4

1993 - 1994

In the new TV commercials, Lavazza focused on four international celebrities: Luciano Pavarotti, Monica Vanio, Giorgio Forattini and Bud Spencer.

1993

Four new celebrity endorsers

Lavazza overhauled its image again, focusing its communication on its four new celebrity endorsers: Luciano Pavarotti, Monica Vanio, Giorgio Forattini and Bud Spencer. During these years, Lavazza created several international television campaigns, each one unique and different from the others and reflecting the demands of each geographic area. The general objective was to increase the distribution and renown of the Lavazza brand through the concept of "Italianness".

Lavazza in

Heaven

1995 - Today

The synergy between an innovative and enlightened company, Lavazza, and a creative and equally innovative supplier, Testa, lead to the creation of a publicity campaign with an entirely different look and feel. These years steeped in the traditional Italian humor of the “Paradiso” (Heaven) Campaign.

1995

The Paradiso TV campaign was born

The ’90s witnessed ironic, naive adventures in heaven where persuasive angels exalted the different Lavazza blends, from Crema e Gusto to Qualità Oro. Famous high-caliber directors, such as Alessandro D’Alatri and Gabriele Salvatores, created stories starring Tullio Solenghi and Riccardo Garrone in the role of St. Peter. This marked the first European-wide campaign for Lavazza.

2000

Bonolis and Laurenti arrived on the scene

Paolo Bonolis and Luca Laurenti took over as endorsers from Tullio Solenghi. The comic Italian TV duo exchanged banter with voice-over - the voice of Lavazza - in surreal jokes which added to the humor of the TV ad’s narrative.

2004

Caballero calls, Carmencita answers

Caballero strikes again together with Carmencita.

Carmencita is a 21^st century, unconventional, self-deprecating journalist with memorable black braids and a heart-shaped mouth. This new advertising campaign launched everywhere, from books, to various websites, to radio broadcasts. Meanwhile, Lavazza has successfully become a leading global brand in the coffee industry.

2010

15 Years in Heaven

In 2010, The Paradiso campaign celebrated its 15th anniversary. The following year, it ventured into the workplace, with the ad dedicated to espresso systems for offices,public areas, and cinemas. The new ad hoc campaign featured Favola, Lavazza’s new A Modo Mio espresso machine.

2015

A change of tune

In 2015, the musical harmonies by Giancarlo Colonnello, that accompanied so many of Lavazza’s previous episodes with their grace and lightness, were replaced by a new theme, composed and directed by Maestro and Oscar winner, Nicola Piovani. Together with the new musical theme, Tullio Solenghi returned to Lavazza’s advertising campaigns, flanked by comedian Enrico Brignano.

2016

Redesigning the clouds

Maurizio Crozza, in the role of an eccentric architect, worked alongside with St. Peter and the cherubs to give Lavazza’s Heaven a new and renovated look. Even though Lavazza Heaven, one of Italy’s most beloved advertising campaigns, received a brand new look, it unmistakably kept its ironic, witty and surprising tone.