BIANCA BOSATRA
BIANCA BOSATRA
ZALANDO: LE CASE SONO IL NOSTRO PALCO
Seasonal Campaign
ROLE: Direct Marketing Manager
CLIENT: Zalando
LAUNCH DATE: February 2023
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Zalando launched 'Le case sono il nostro palco' ('Our homes are our stage') during Sanremo Festival 2023, Italy's most significant music event. The campaign starred Ariete, a 20-year-old artist who redefined the 'Bedroom Pop' genre, and positioned homes as private stages for self-expression without judgment. Running February 7 - March 14, 2023, the integrated campaign combined TV, digital, OOH, social, and sophisticated CRM communications to drive Zalando's Designer category growth among Gen Z Italian consumers.
CAMPAIGN STRATEGY & EXECUTION
Cultural Timing: Sanremo Festival Amplification
Sanremo Festival is Italy's most-watched television event, drawing 10+ million viewers. Launching during this cultural moment guaranteed massive visibility. With Ariete competing in the festival, the campaign benefited from organic media coverage and social conversation, extending reach beyond paid media.
Bedroom Pop as Brand Positioning
Ariete's music genre perfectly mirrored the campaign message. Her songs, written in her bedroom, embodied authentic self-expression without judgment. This alignment made the partnership credible rather than transactional. The campaign was amplifying her existing values of freedom and self-identification.
Designer + Casual Mix Targets Gen Z Shopping Behavior
Gen Z doesn't shop in silos, they mix luxury designers with accessible streetwear. The campaign showcased this through Ariete's outfits, validating how Italian Gen Z actually shops on Zalando. In 2022, Designer category grew double digits on Zalando.it, with bags, T-shirts, and belts as top sellers.
Freedom from Judgment Resonates Post-Lockdown
Launching in early 2023, the campaign tapped into lingering post-lockdown sentiment. After years of limited public gatherings, homes remained important spaces for identity exploration. The message 'our homes are our stage' acknowledged this reality while celebrating it as positive rather than limiting.
CHALLENGES
& SOLUTIONS
COORDINATING MULTI-CHANNEL TIMING DURING LIVE EVENT
Sanremo Festival is live television, Ariete's performance times weren't confirmed until hours before broadcast. This created uncertainty for time-sensitive communications like push notifications and social posts.
Solution: I built communication templates with variable timing that could be activated quickly. Pre-wrote push notification copy and email subject lines with placeholder times, allowing us to populate actual times and deploy within 15 minutes of confirmation.
AVOIDING COMMUNICATION FATIGUE WITH GEN Z AUDIENCE
Gen Z customers are notification-averse and with a 5-week campaign, we needed sustained engagement without overwhelming them.
Solution: Implemented frequency capping: maximum 2 campaign emails per week, maximum 3 push notifications per week. Prioritized quality over quantity, every communication needed strong creative and clear value proposition. Conducted A/B testing on push notification timing, discovering Gen Z responded better to evening sends (6-8 PM) versus morning. Result: Push open rates averaged 18% (vs. 12% baseline), email open rates averaged 24% (vs. 19% baseline).
CONVERTING BRAND AWARENESS TO DESIGN CATEGORY SALES
Campaign generated high engagement and brand awareness, but the commercial goal was Designer category growth. Ariete's appeal might drive traffic without converting to higher-priced designer purchases.
Solution: Created 'gateway product' strategy in email campaigns. Started with accessible items (Designer T-shirts €80-120) in first campaign week, gradually introducing higher-priced items (bags €300-500, outerwear €400-600) in later weeks. Emails featured 'Complete the Look' modules showing how to mix one designer piece with affordable basics.Tracked results: Designer category sales increased 15% during campaign period vs. previous 5 weeks.
