Look through all the Netflix shows and movies, scroll through your Kindle, search all you want: there always comes a time when you can’t find anything good to watch or read. And you give up. You decide to listen to music, but even your own playlists have started to sound ho-hum. It happens to all of us.
So here is a quick little selection of things that deserve to be seen, read, and listened to. Unsolicited advice, sometimes haphazard and perhaps questionable, but valid for one fundamental reason: they’ve left an impression on us. And, who knows? They may leave one on you too.

The technique and creativity of true innovators

Strictly unsolicited advice about things we’ve seen, heard, read or listened to since the start of 2023. Creative challenges that have led to unconventional techniques. Original ideas that have evolved into something amazing.

For those looking for inspiration, here is our short and practical list of things that deserve a “Wow!”.

Along the customer journey, users switch from one channel to another: a multitude of touchpoints that the brand experience must be able to reach. This is the essence of omnichannel, and continuity and coherence are at its very core.

The target audience must have a balanced perception, i.e. brand continuity and consistency through all touchpoints.

But what is the secret to building what is defined as brand consistency? There is no miracle formula, although precise and profound thought is fundamental. Thinking of brands as though they were people certainly helps.

This is why we believe brand and communication are inseparable. Defining what the brand is all about through a strategy, what it believes in, and how it wishes to present itself to the world is far from a single action: it’s an ongoing process requiring consistency and constant adaptation. The only way to bring a brand truly to life is by facilitating the interaction of all these elements. It’s the only way we can shape experiences that unite meaning and beauty, promoting positive interactions between people and brands.

So, while it’s true that there are buzzwords and fleeting trends, it’s also true that there are meaningful methods and approaches in communication. Today, this is certainly the case for omnichannel and brand consistency.

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Article: Camilla Beretta
Illustrations: Jacopo Riva

A huge passion for data and statistics, but with a human touch. Because on its own, data can’t explain everything in marketing or generate value.

What is the relationship between strategy, creativity and marketing? To find out more, we met with Alessandro Scartezzini, founder and administrator of Webperformance, a digital media agency specialized in performance marketing, and a Blossom partner since January 2023.

With a degree in economics, previous experience as a criminologist, a publication on web marketing and over twenty years of experience in the digital world, today Alessandro is an authoritative voice in the performance marketing field.

D. What is the biggest challenge for you today?
R. For me, the challenge of today boils down to making digital business sustainable.

D. In what sense? Explain to us what Performance Marketing means in 2023?
R. Until a few years ago, the concept was clear: it meant delivering measurable results to clients, such as leads and conversions. This is no longer the case, however. Tracking and tracing actions back to single actions is very difficult now because the average user comes into contact with a product and brand multiple times prior to a purchase or lead. For example, we found that over 60% of users came into contact with a brand through at least 5 other touchpoints before purchasing from our e-commerce sites.

D. So, would it be safe to say that the word “performance” has taken on a new meaning compared to 10 years ago?
R. For sure. Today we tend to think of performance in much broader terms. This is very interesting because it enables us to add brand awareness campaigns to our work, which are difficult to measure in the short term but have proven to yield huge returns in the long term.

D. There is an extensive overlap of disciplines and knowledge in your line of work. How important is this kind of training in your field?
R. Overlap and cross-fertilization are fundamental, especially in something as complex as the digital world. For example, just stop to think about the right to privacy, which in the last few years has become the most important driver in how we do digital marketing. So, human sciences, law, economics, statistics…they are all interconnected and we need to have a good grasp of all these subjects. Obviously, we can’t master them all. For example, I completely lack aesthetic sensitivity, and my art director never fails to remind me about this [he laughs].

D. Speaking of art direction, we have reached the crux of the matter: what is the relationship between data and creativity? How are they linked?
R. Well, the truth is that they hate each other [he laughs]. On a more serious note, I believe we really need to be able to differentiate between pure performance campaigns and awareness campaigns. The former requires creative professionals to adapt: if a video of more than 15″ doesn’t work in ADV, then we simply must surrender to this fact. In the latter case, however, creative freedom is paramount.

D. Has data ever contradicted a choice you made? Or led you to a decision you would never have thought of?
R. For sure. Data is awful in this sense. It’s always right. It tells us we’re wrong every single day, especially as far as the creative part of our job is concerned…

Obviously, it is important to know how to read, or even better, predict data. This is only possible with experience, which is an immense value in this field

D. So data is never wrong?
R. No, it never is. Mistakes are possible, but only when factors that prevent correct collection enter the picture.

D. So is the take-home message that data always wins over creativity?
R. That’s not how I see it. I believe in a great alliance, obviously as part of an ongoing discussion. In brand awareness campaigns, for example, creative professionals can benefit immensely from numbers: if creativity is strong, numbers confirm the necessary budget for its spread. Free spaces for creativity have ceased to exist: gone are the days in which beautiful creativity is seen by 50K with 100K followers. Now, if you fail to invest, you’ll be lucky if it is seen by 100. So, data is saying that creativity requires investment, always.

D. This seems like good news for creative professionals…
R. Yes, it is. But it isn’t the only one: the way I see it, creativity remains the single most important lever of performance.

D. Obviously, creativity is confirmed by data, right?
R. Of course. If proven wrong by data, then there’s no discussion, it needs to change.

D. Does all the data you analyze for your clients give you an overview of trends?
R. Trends are fundamental: we always analyze market and competitor trends for each client. For example, seasonality plays a prime role. Knowledge and understanding of trends are also important for forecasting purposes: we need to understand where we will be during the campaign and during the investment. For example, even when we’re doing brand awareness, we measure the effects of our investments by means of surveys in partnership with Meta.

D. So what trends will there be in 2023?
R. The scenario for us will be something like this. There won’t be a tremendous rise in the costs of clicks and purchases, and the fact that they will stabilize is positive. In economic terms, trends will vary from sector to sector. The positive trend in tourism will continue, following an already excellent year. We imagine the food and beverage industry will remain stable, with more difficulties for fashion in which there has been a digital setback due to a resurgence of in-store purchases. We see great opportunities for B2B where there are also lots of new tools for lead generations… we’ll just have to wait and see.

The light and the dark. Polar opposites that convey what Blossom is today, who we are, and how we help each other look at the world with a different perspective, every day.

After a year of major evolution and change, we have redefined who we are and why we exist. It was a long process that involved all of Blossom and which, in reality, we will never stop doing.

Ours is a creative soul, one which looks at the world and everyday life and sees endless possibilities of beauty. A beauty we choose to express uniquely every time; a creativity that takes advantage of existing means and tools, but is always open to innovation, such as the incredible AI revolution just around the corner.

To this, we have added a strategic vision of the world and business, so that every choice we make is guided by reason and, to that point, by a strategic approach that enables us to choose and act with resolute and sound judgment.

Revealing possibilities that we could neither see nor imagine before.

For this very reason, the first release year of Snap is dedicated to these souls of ours: six articles – with interviews, videos and insights – that tell and show many forms of creativity, which go hand-in-hand with strategy.

A great illustrator and friend of Blossom came to visit. Nico189, aka Nicola Laurora, took his first steps with us 15 years ago. From our couch, he invites us into his world, a fascinating dimension where the covers of Monocle and graffiti on trains in sunny southern Italy mix together.

Our Head of Strategy, Camilla Beretta, summarizes the omnichannel approach with style, working shoulder-to-shoulder with Jacopo Riva and his illustrations.

We recorded lunch break conversations at our HQ between Dave, Head of Media House, and Francesco Seveso, our boxing psychologist and trainer. The result is a podcast that talks about creativity, work and human functioning, which episode after episode, will take us to places made of invisible matter, but that have an impact on all of us.

Alessandro Scartezzini, CEO of Webperformance, our partner in digital media crime, explains the what, how and when of the media world.

And finally, as part of our “Who are you?” video series, Matteo Mari, aka Mario, shares his short film, “On Sunday, I dress badly,” a mind-blowing presentation loaded with technique, rhythm, style and depth that truly moved me.

In January, the sky in Milan is often grey and the days are dark. May this issue of Snap give you some light.

Happy New Year, and happy reading.

The Blossom couch hosts Nicola Laurora, aka Nico189. In one of his rare interviews, he spoke to us of graffiti, editorials and NFTs inspired by creativity, inquisitiveness and commitment.

When a writer paints graffiti on a train, they never stop to think about just how far their work may travel. This was certainly the case for Nicola Laurora, in art: Nico189. A born artist raised between the walls and train wagons of Trani, over the years he has established himself as an illustrator with his very own iconic style, even working with top international brands such as Apple, Swatch, Samsung, Ikea and McDonald’s, and being selected by the Association Of Illustrators in London.

On this incredible journey, which has taken him from graffiti to the front pages of Wired, Monocle, The Telegraph and the Washington Post in a relentless cross-pollination of spray paints and the latest digital innovations, Nico189 also crossed paths with Blossom. Where, as he likes to say, his work as an illustrator began.

In this second episode of Chat On the Couch, Nico189 talks to us about his dreams with characteristic humility and irony, along with some of his fixations, including obsessive precision, a recurring need to “go paint a wall,” and an unquenchable thirst for exploring and putting himself to the test.

Watch the video.

The first episode of “Who are you?”- the column where Blossom’s creative minds freely describe themselves – is by Matteo Mari. This is how a particularly sensitive motion designer answered the simple question: who are you, really?

Born in 1993, Matteo Mari is one of the motion designers who has been animating Blossom’s Media House for several years. It’s not really clear why everyone calls him Mario. When posed the question “Who are you?”, his answer came in the form of an original, evocative and poetic, yet highly technical short film.

An existential story in 3D animation made all the more remarkable due to an astounding technique: Matteo’s use of a 2D animation program.

For those of you less familiar with this process, we’ll try to break it down for you. To understand how each scene was constructed, you have to imagine how Matteo built each of the three-dimensional objects by assembling two-dimensional layers, much like stacking a deck of playing cards. Or folding a square with six faces drawn on paper into an actual cube.

In this experiment, Matteo dealt with thousands of levels of After Effects (some say there were as many as 3,200!) and continuous challenges, which clearly got his creative juices flowing. Seeing really is believing.