Gabriele d`Annunzio, copywriter ante litteram

CREATIVITY - ARTE E COMUNICAZIONE
Gabriele d’Annunzio, copywriter
ante litteram § Gabriele
d’Annunzio, a proto-copywriter
di Stefano Sbarbaro
Innovatore a teatro, il Vate si avvicinò con convinzione anche alla fotografia ed ebbe
modo di cimentarsi attivamente con il cinema. Letterato apprezzato, dimostrò sempre
soluzioni nuove e fantasiose per promuovere le proprie opere § Theatre innovator, the
Vate (“the Prophet”) also boldly approached photography and tried his hand at cinema. An
appreciated literate, he always created new and imaginative solutions in order to promote
his works
L
’incidenza esercitata
sulla cultura italiana del
Novecento dalla figura di
Gabriele D’Annunzio (Pescara
1863 - Gardone Riviera 1938) è
ancora oggi motivo di dibattito e
di studio. L’eredità da lui lasciata
non si circoscrive semplicemente alla letteratura, ma abbraccia
una molteplicità di ambiti molti
dei quali affrontati con uno
slancio riformatore e precorritore. Il Vate fu un innovatore
a teatro, non solo nell’elaborazione drammaturgica, ma
rivoluzionando la prassi scenica
e anticipando il teatro di regia, si
avvicinò con convinzione alla
Gabriele d’Annunzio. L’abilità linguistica del poeta venne sfruttata dalla pubblicità
del tempo per promuovere prodotti, creare slogan e nuovi marchi. A lui si deve
l’ideazione del brand “La Rinascente” renaming per i Magazzini Bocconi bruciati in un
incendio nel centro di Milano nel 1917. Per far fronte ai debiti accetto di collaborare
con varie aziende anche i qualità di testimonial come nel caso dell’Amare Montenegro,
l’Amaretto di Saronno e il Sangue Morlacco. § Gabriele d’Annunzio. The poet’s knack for
languages was harnessed by the advertising industry of the period for promoting products,
creating slogans and new brands. “La Rinascente” is his brainchild, a renaming of Magazzini
Bocconi burnt down in a blaze in downtown Milan way back in 1917. In order to pay for his
debts, d’Annunzio accepted work from several companies, even as a testimonial e.g. Amaro
Montenegro, Amaretto di Saronno and Sangue Morlacco.
112
Pubblicità Italia 08 | ottobre 2014
T
he impact of Gabriele D’Annunzio (Pescara
1863 - Gardone Riviera 1938) on the Italian
culture of the Twentieth Century is still studied
and discussed today. His legacy is not limited to
literature, but encompasses numerous fields, many
of which were approached with a pioneering and
ground-breaking attitude. D’Annunzio introduced
innovations to theatre, not only as concerns dramatic
elaboration, but also by revolutionizing stage practice
and forerunning contemporary theatre based on
directors. He boldly approached photography, which
he considered an essential means to skilfully publicize
himself as a celebrity, and actively tried his hand at
cinema. D’Annunzio, unlike his intellectual contemporaries, understood the value of the ‘new muse’; it
is well-known that he was one of the scriptwriters
of the 1914 epic film Cabiria by G. Pastrone, even if
maybe less decisive than recounted, and he wrote
about 22 scripts for silent films from 1911 to 1922. The
literary success achieved with The Child of Pleasure in
1889 brought him fame in Italy and abroad, but plays,
operas and films guaranteed that direct contact with
the masses that D’Annunzio had always coveted. The
poet was already a personality and Italians would
soon gossip about the scandals of his libertine conduct, his clamorous political forswears and, later, his
intrepid military feats. Journalists of that time wrote
reams on his stormy relationship with the actress
Eleonora Duse, already acclaimed in Europe and
America, which significantly increased D’Annunzio’s
fame. Duse acted in the first plays by D’Annunzio in
some cases financing their production and international tours. But their relationship did not stand the test
of The Flame of Life, the novel published in 1900 in
which the love story of the protagonists Stelio Effrena
and the actress Foscarina clearly hints at their own
affair. Duse’s manager tried to prevent the publication
because the most intimate details of their relationship
were mercilessly disclosed, portraying Duse as an