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De Cecco
Impasta
Syndrome
Background
You know when you're absolutely starving and all you can think about is a lovely big bowl of pasta? Whether you're dreaming of tagliatelle mixed with a rich tomato sauce, spaghetti baked into a creamy carbonara, or fusilli combined with a fragrant pesto, you're not alone! Pasta is one of the most craved foods on the planet.
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Well, the folks over at De Cecco – known for their mouth-watering pasta products – have taken this idea to another level. 'Impasta Syndrome' (a spec ad campaign devised by me) sees De Cecco inject Italian playfulness and tastiness into the everyday. Impasta Syndrome is a surreal representation of what we pasta lovers might see at our most hungry: mundane objects starting to resemble pieces of our favourite food. This ailment, known as impasta syndrome, has only one known cure – treating oneself to a bowl of De Cecco's delicious pasta! Only then can balance be restored, appetites quelled and pasta put back into the context in which it belongs. Until then, oversized pieces of De Cecco pasta (impastas) will continue showing up in the most unlikely of places across the UK...
Inviting consumers to quell that gnawing feeling with a bowl of De Cecco pasta
Insight​​
When you're hungry, pasta is an imposter. You see it everywhere until you can get a bowl of it.
Campaign Concept​​
From the rotelle wheels on a bike, to a giant penne noodle telephone box, to conchiglie shell seats, De Cecco's selection of premium quality pasta has started springing up everywhere! Seeing these tasty icons is a constant reminder for consumers to tuck into a fresh bowl of pasta at the next opportunity.​​​​
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I envision this campaign being delivered in several stages across a variety of media. Phase one would involve OOH billboards and a corresponding TV / online video advert depicting people encountering instances of Impasta Syndrome. The campaign name and various CTAs encouraging people to ease their cravings by eating a bowl of pasta (playing with the idea that hunger and imposter syndrome are two comparable discomforts) would be communicated across these adverts.
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An additional OOH variation involves a special build giant 3D piece of pasta sticking out of the billboard and attracting the attention of passers-by!
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Phase two would occur once the initial campaign idea had had enough time to become widely recognised and associated with the De Cecco brand by the general public.
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This phase would involve oversized pieces of pasta popping up in cities across the UK, taking the place of everyday street furniture (think outdoor benches becoming conchiglie shell seats and street lamps turning into rotini). These strategically placed art-like pieces would give people an Impasta Syndrome moment of their own. They would appear at random and without prior notice, providing opportunities for press pieces and social media content, with people online spotting the next impasta to materialise.​
For the third and final phase of this campaign, De Cecco would start introducing Impasta Pop-up stands near to the impasta pieces, allowing consumers to quickly satisfy their pasta cravings and fight impasta syndrome. The stands would be feature oversized bowls of pasta as part of their design and sell both delicious fresh pasta dishes, made using authentic Italian ingredients, as well as packets of De Cecco products for home use.​​​​​
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Pop-up impasta playgrounds nearby (featuring slides and climbing frames again inspired by the novel shapes of De Cecco's pasta) could provide a memorable experience for young children. This has the dual benefit of keeping children occupied as their family enjoy bowls of pasta and boosting brand awareness in young children, who hold high lifetime value as customers.
​For added brand salience, pop-up stands could be introduced in supermarkets to influence positive purchase decisions. Delicious scents of authentic pasta dishes could be wafted around the store, with tantalising free samples of the dishes available to all customers.
The aim of this campaign is to put De Cecco front and centre of consumers' minds, even in situations that they wouldn't typically think of food products. In doing so, the campaign would improve brand recognition, awareness, recall and salience, cementing De Cecco as the UK's number one choice for pasta.
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