Barbara Gianuzzi Comunicazione Tells its Story

Milan, Via Sassoferrato 1, in the Porta Romana area. An address that has become a reference point for those involved in jewelry and watchmaking, from fashion to high-end. This may seem somewhat emphatic but that is not the case. Those who are surprised by this undeniable recognition in the sector are the same people who have put down roots at that address. It is here that Barbara Gianuzzi opened her communication agency in 2010, and it is here that, over the past twelve years, she has created awareness and brand identity for numerous internationally renowned brands, including her own. We meet Barbara in her agency’s bright rooms, decorated with significant details, stucco work and extremely stylish furniture.

"By nature, I never take anything for granted. Therefore, whenever big companies, having heard good things about our work, call us because they only want us and no one else, I am very surprised and, at the same time, totally thrilled. This may sound like false modesty, but in actual fact, it’s quite the opposite. One day, for example, the phone rang. It was a member of one of the families that made watchmaking history in Italy, even revolutionizing its communication! Well, we met a few days later and we have been collaborating successfully ever since. Exploits that are lifeblood for me, an extraordinary stimulus that not only triggers a desire to do even more and even better, but also renews the passion for a profession that, in my opinion, is often taken too lightly. Until not so long ago, it was believed that all the “PR” figure did was simply organize events and smile. 

It is still difficult, even in this day and age, to sell a service that is not solidly tangible nor immediate in its response but our approach establishes a partnership mode right from the beginning of the collaboration. We are not just an external agency that makes the customer trust and rely totally on us, even when we say “no”. For example, when I am asked to plan strategies on an international level, I explain clearly: while the global market is an established reality, it doesn’t mean that product communication is the same in every country. Interacting with the media can’t just be a question of sending the same press release worldwide. My lengthy experience within the company, the eight years I spent as head of Cartier's PR team, made me realize just how important it is to create, and then cultivate, direct and personal relationships with each media outlet in order to convey the brand’s philosophy in a truly effective and productive manner. 

We are known for this intellectual honesty and marked proactivity and that’s what makes the difference. When all is said and done, our profession is based on a dense network of relationships with delicate and fundamental balances: we deal with a sector - jewelry and watches - whose products are meant to convey emotions and whose top of the range can be a form of monetary investment as well as a symbol of important occasions. Keeping so many different concepts together, getting them to interact appropriately and ensuring that each link in the chain speaks to the most appropriate interlocutor is one of the most challenging aspects. That’s why, although the client portfolio is internally subdivided and categorized, each person in my team is familiar with the peculiarities and storytelling of each company and its product as well as the individual journalists in the field. Otherwise, we would not be able to achieve the precious mission stated in our claim, “Getting the media to talk about your brand is our job.”

A pragmatic vision that pays off, whatever price range is involved, because the initial approach and action strategy that we enact are not determined by the intrinsic value of the product in question but by the story that each brand expresses. All we have to do is to enhance it, make it news and pitch it to the right media target. And since we often have to deal with brands whose price range, from fashion to haute de gamme, is their benchmark, everything becomes easier for us, even though the level of requirements and expectations is higher.

I also like to point out that my agency’s growth over the last twelve years is also due to my extraordinary collaborators: Francesca Fabris first and foremost, a senior profile with past experience in various watch and jewelry companies, and then Fabiana Fiorini and Chiara Cavuoto, who are so reliably prepared and dedicated that calling them “junior” doesn’t do them justice. They know every single collection, every model they handle, and we are talking about dozens of watch and jewelry items. There is also no lack of enthusiasm for the new sector - wine & spirits - that we are now including and which, from a certain point of view, gives a sense of greater completeness to the lifestyle world we already deal with.

At the end of the day, our job becomes a lifestyle because we always have a watchful eye on everything that is happening out there, whether on the catwalk or at a celebrity event, in order to understand new trends in good time and to propose ideas that are always up to date. The team is extremely close and we get along well in terms of perspectives and future visions... except for my “secret dream”: “the Building”. A multifunctional space that would include the Agency, an art gallery, bar-restaurant and, last but not least, a home, my home. The Sassoferrato headquarters already hosts press days and events, but the building I have in mind would be like “Never-Never Land”, a style hub, an island of social life that, besides being a showcase for well-positioned brands, would also be a meeting place for a beauty-addicted public. Such a place does not exist but then, twelve years ago, there wasn’t a team that specialized in jewelry and watch communication either…»

https://www.barbaragianuzzi.com/it/