Campari: The essence of Italian aperitivo

Since 1860, Gaspare Campari's striking red aperitif has captivated the world. With 27 direct markets, presence in 190 countries, and 24 global plants, Campari combines timeless charisma with contemporary style.

The Campari brand itself is synonymous with the art of Italian Aperitivo. It is the essential, foundational ingredient of the Negroni, a timeless cocktail celebrated for its distinctive red color and sophisticated bitterness. The Negroni was born in Florence in 1919, when bartender Fosco Scarselli swapped soda water for gin at Count Camillo Negroni's request, adding an orange slice for the finishing touch — creating a legendary classic.

Truly contextual for Negroni Week

The campaign strategically coincided with Negroni Week, a global celebration of the classic cocktail. For its local Greek market activation, Campari Hellas partnered with Mindshare Greece and Fast River to evolve its digital strategy. 

The goal was to move beyond conventional audience targeting and use context as the primary lever for relevance and engagement. To meet this goal, the campaign became the first in Greece to leverage Eskimi's DeepContext. 

"With DeepContext, we moved beyond basic contextual targeting. Every ad impression was carefully aligned with Campari's sophisticated brand identity, ensuring relevance and attention in premium digital environments," shared Theodore Avramidis, Business Development Manager at Fast River Eskimi Greece and Cyprus.

A tailored Brand Blueprint targeted audiences aged 35–45 who embody a sophisticated, city-style lifestyle, those who frequent upscale lounges, enjoy vibrant nightlife, and consume content related to luxury, finance, and premium travel.

DeepContext: Contextual advertising that truly gets context

DeepContext represents a breakthrough in contextual intelligence by replacing keywords with AI that understands the meaning, sentiment, and intent of a webpage. 

For us, strategic targeting is not just about being in the right placements, but about creating cultural relevance. DeepContext enables exactly that: a planning approach built on depth, precision, and transparency, serving both the brand's needs and the expectations of today's consumers, " said Angelika Bega, Senior Digital & Offline Media Planner at Mindshare Greece.

This new level of intelligence is possible thanks to two proprietary AI engines:

• Brand Blueprint: A co-created, machine-readable model that translates Campari's sophisticated voice, values, and sensitivities into structured AI logic, ensuring that every contextual placement reflects the brand's true character.
• Relevance Engine: A real-time, self-learning model that continuously scans digital environments worldwide, scoring each page against the Brand Blueprint. This process preserves scale with unmatched transparency, allowing you to see why an ad matched and adjust instantly.

DeepContext allowed Campari to reach its target audience with unmatched precision and relevance. "DeepContext represents a new era for Campari. Every impression counts, every placement is meaningful, and every interaction reinforces the brand's premium identity".

"This precise targeting not only deepened audience connection but also elevated the Negroni as a symbol of a sophisticated lifestyle during Negroni Week. Credit goes to Campari Hellas for the strong brand vision and to Mindshare Greece for the strategic planning behind the campaign,” shared Theodore Avramidis.

Creativity meets context

The campaign used 3D forced perspective ads to reflect Campari's playful yet premium identity, bringing Negroni Week to life digitally. The combination of immersive creativity and intelligent contextual targeting maximized engagement and attention across a highly selective audience.

‍

Impact & insights

The combination of highly relevant context and the eye-catching 3D forced perspective creative format translated directly into attention, safety, and unmatched fit.

Across more than 2 million analyzed placements, nearly 80,000 URLs were identified as highly relevant, achieving a precise 3.7% contextual match rate. This ensured that every impression was served in an environment perfectly aligned with Campari's brand identity.

Campari achieved remarkable results with the Negroni Week campaign:

• The campaign achieved a stunning  1,358 Attention Per Mille (APM), 62%  above the market benchmark.
• Average View Time reached 4 seconds, 63% above the  benchmark.
• Active view rate stood at a healthy 34%, aligning with market standards and signalling strong audience engagement.‍
• 97% of all impressions were served in brand-safe environments, protecting the brand's reputation.
• ‍36% of impressions appeared in Arts & Entertainment, 13% in News, 9% in Travel, and 8% in Food & Drinks, ensuring alignment with Campari's lifestyle values.

The campaign also successfully met its broader objectives:

• Brand Safety: Protecting Campari's reputation by avoiding harmful or unsuitable content.
  
• Brand Fit: Appearing in contexts that reflect the brand's values and resonate with the target audience's interests.
  
• Ad Relevance: Delivering messages within meaningful environments, where the audience is most likely to engage with the ad.
  ‍

DeepContext allowed Campari to reach its target audience with unmatched precision and relevance. The campaign demonstrated that contextually intelligent advertising, when combined with compelling 3D creatives, can elevate brand perception and deliver meaningful attention metrics.