Media: Publishing brands

AdKaora, the international digital Martech agency of the Mondadori Group and a leader in mobile advertising, proximity marketing, and full-funnel solutions for brands and publishers, has launched the white paper “Dal banco alla brand experience: il Retail Media in farmacia” in collaboration with Haiku Technologies. The study provides an in-depth analysis of pharmacies as new strategic media hubs and examines consumer trends shaping the sector’s evolution.

In recent years, Italian pharmacies have undergone a profound transformation: from simple points of sale to multifunctional hubs integrating prevention services, consultation, and advanced technologies capable of measuring advertising effectiveness. Thanks to digitalization and the installation of indoor screens and multichannel proximity solutions, pharmacies have become high-value communication channels, reaching consumers already predisposed to purchase.

The white paper offers market analysis, case studies, and guidelines for leveraging this growing channel, which is projected to reach over €640 million in Italy in 2025.

Key insights from the white paper include:

• Purchase trends show significant seasonality: supplements +20% in August, dermocosmetics +43% in December, and infant products +79% in December.
• Product category weight varies: OTC (over-the-counter drugs) 41%, Personal Care 24%, and Supplements 11% representing the most significant share of the pharma sector.

The document also highlights the importance of a full-funnel approach for effective retail media strategies AdKaora and Haiku’s solutions are designed to reach consumers both inside and around the pharmacy and across their digital journey through multiple touchpoints.

With over 250 digitalized points of sale, 2.5 million monthly scans, and an omnichannel ecosystem, AdKaora and Haiku provide healthcare and pharma companies with granular insights into purchasing behaviour and real-time KPIs. This allows for direct connection between media investment and actual sales results, optimizing campaigns and maximizing ROI (return on investment).

For brands and investors, the opportunities are numerous: from planning high-impact, measurable retail media campaigns to segmenting and personalizing strategies based on specific product categories.
In conclusion, retail media confirms its status as a strategic and innovative channel, set to play an increasingly central role in communication and marketing strategies for the future.

The full white paper is available here:link.

INTERNI, the interiors and contemporary design magazine of the Mondadori Group, dedicates its November 2025 special issue to Rome: a monograph titled Rome, eternal change, which presents the capital as a laboratory of architecture, design, art and culture, and explores how the Eternal City is a living canvas continually reshaped over time.

“Rome never stops surprising us,” says INTERNI’s editor Gilda Bojardi. “Every era has rewritten it, layering shapes, overlapping memories and visions. The Urbs reveals a face that is always changing. It is a place where archaeology and contemporaneity intertwine in a dialogue suspended between identity and transformation. This is the story we tell in the pages of our Rome issue, portraying the city as a mosaic of languages and cross pollinations, a place open to international creative ideas and always capable of astonishing us.”

This special edition of INTERNI will be presented on Friday 7th November 2025 at 5.30 pm at  the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Rome, in the presence of the Undersecretary for Culture  Lucia Borgonzoni, the Gallery’s Director Renata Cristina Mazzantini, INTERNI’s  Editor Gilda Bojardi, architect and  Director of Laboratorio Roma050 Stefano Boeri,, design historian and curator Domitilla Dardi, architects Massimo Alvisi and Junko Kirimoto, co founders of the Alvisi Kirimoto studio, COREPLA President Giovanni Cassuti and journalist Roberto D’Agostino.

The event will offer an opportunity to reflect on a new identity for Rome that weaves together architecture, design, art and society and that can encompass multiple souls within a single powerful and evocative image on the international stage.

The event will also see the inauguration of TAM TAM. Tempio, Azione, Movimento, the installation by the Alvisi Kirimoto studio created last April as part of INTERNI CRE-ACTION during FuoriSalone 2025 at the University of Milan. A temple of white columns made of recycled plastic becomes a transformable and dynamic organism through the actions of visitors, encouraging both personal reflection and shared experiences.

The installation, on display in the Central Courtyard of the Galleria Nazionale until 8^th December, embodies the dialogue between art, design and architecture and confirms Rome’s calling as a city open to international creative experimentation.

Partner of the installation is COREPLA, the National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling and Recovery of Plastic Packaging. Communication partner for the initiative is Comin & Partners.

TAM TAM. Tempio, Azione, Movimento is part of the museum’s exhibition path and therefore requires a standard entry ticket to visit.

In this special issue

INTERNI opens with a reflection on the nature of time and on the identity of Rome, a city capable of holding many souls within a single powerful and evocative vision. This vision emerges from Laboratorio Roma050, the project led by Stefano Boeri and promoted by Roma Capitale and the Department of Urban Planning with Risorse S.p.A, which imagines the Capital projected into 2050.

The issue then explores the theme of archaeology entering the contemporary world, with projects that transform iconic sites of the past into opportunities for architectural and urban experimentation. These include the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo, the renewed Piazza Augusto Imperatore, the Colosseo Metro station, and Forof, the cultural space created by Giovanna Caruso Fendi overlooking Trajan’s Forum, which has already restored identity to the underground spaces of the second-century Basilica Ulpia. Also featured is the new Passeggiata Archeologica, which will connect the entire central archaeological area of the city.

The narrative continues with a logbook on the architectures of politics and diplomacy, highlighting the role of institutions as ambassadors of political, cultural and social values. It explores buildings such as the FAO headquarters, the Great Mosque of Rome, the Church of Tor Tre Teste, the Danish Academy, the Japanese Cultural Institute, Villa Medici and lesser-known projects such as Notre Dame de Sion, rediscovered as an example of Gio Ponti’s architecture.

The heart of the Architecture section is dedicated, through studio visits and first-person accounts, to leading figures on the contemporary Roman scene. These are architects who live and work in the city and are reshaping its identity through design research, sensitivity to context and creative innovation. Among them are: Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Alvisi Kirimoto, Labics, IT’S, Andrea D’Antrassi/MAD, Westway Architects, Lazzarini Pickering, Claudia Campone/Thirtyone e Dario Curatolo.

Generous space is also given to domestic and historic interiors, from contemporary design residences, including a brand-new project by Studio Strato, to the homes of figures who have intertwined art and collecting, and to the reconstruction of iconic environments such as the one designed by Ettore Sottsass for Franco Debenedetti in 1994.

The cover story is dedicated to Bulgari, an emblem of Roman luxury and a global brand deeply rooted in the Eternal City. But that’s not all. In Milan, the recent inauguration of the flagship store in Via Montenapoleone is a tangible tribute to the encounter between the spirit of the maison and the creative energy of the city.

The Interviews section features conversations with leading cultural and creative figures. Roberto D’Agostino reflects on the Rome of La Grande Bellezza and the transformations the city has undergone in recent years, while Renata Cristina Mazzantini, Director of the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, outlines her interdisciplinary vision of twentieth-century art and presents the Museum’s new collection.

With this special issue, INTERNI renews its mission as an observatory and promoter of design culture, offering a full panorama of Rome, a city that is both a heritage of the past and a laboratory for the future. Its narrative weaves together architecture, design, art and society, capturing the complexity of a capital that continues to inspire shared visions and imaginaries on a global scale.

In addition, on 7^th November, INTERNI will also be distributed together with Il Messaggero in all newsstands in Rome.

INTERNI

A monthly magazine with a circulation of 50,000 copies, publishing began in 1954 as the first Italian periodical dedicated to interior decoration. Today INTERNI is one of the main communication tools in contemporary Italian and international design, essential for professionals and design enthusiasts. In 2024 it celebrates its first seventy years, a period during which it has had the privilege of witnessing the extraordinary and adventurous evolution of Italian furniture and interior design. It has closely followed the remarkable growth of design in Italy, driven by the insight and work of visionary cultural figures, architects, designers and bold, talented entrepreneurs. In the early Nineties the magazine became part of the Mondadori Group, Italy’s leading publishing company, and over time, under the direction of Gilda Bojardi, it developed a system of parallel publications that transformed the magazine from an elite medium into a mass medium. INTERNI’s work also includes the creation and coordination of events and exhibitions designed to bring together designers, manufacturers and distributors. The celebrated FuoriSalone, the urban phenomenon that energises the city of Milan during Salone del Mobile week, was launched in 1990 on INTERNI’s initiative. In 2021 it marked its thirtieth edition with the publication of the volume XXX-Y 30 anni di FuoriSalone | 1990-2020 Milano Design Stories (Electa). Following the launch of INTERNI’s Chinese edition in 2015, further international editions are planned. INTERNI is also the communication partner of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, titled The Ideal City.

Space passions, revolutionary gene therapies, artificial intelligence, gravitational waves, black holes and 3D-printed organs you can actually touch. But also the chemistry of chocolate, the atlas of emotions, the 90th anniversary of Schrödinger’s cat and prehistoric reptiles brought back to life. Focus Live 2025, taking place from 7 to 9 November at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan (via Olona 4), will be an extraordinary journey across the many disciplines of science, where passion – this year’s theme – will be the common thread linking science, history, sport, art and music.
Over the course of three days, the festival organised by Focus magazine, under the patronage of the City of Milan, will offer visitors a chance to touch the future, experience the present of research and rediscover the passion that drives science. More than 120 guests, including astronauts, scientists, Olympic champions, artists and communicators, will meet the public in talks, workshops and live events.

Focus Live was created for those who aren’t satisfied with easy answers, for those who see the world with the eyes of an eternal explorer,” says Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus. “It’s a place where curiosity meets the experts shaping our tomorrow and where every question – even the most challenging – has its place. Here, a neurosurgeon can speak with a student, an astronaut answers children’s questions, and anyone can take part in experiments that usually happen only in labs. It’s our way of showing that science isn’t distant: we make it tangible, open to questions, even open to challenge. For three days, we transform the museum into a living laboratory for hands-on discovery and dialogue. For us at Focus, it’s the most genuine moment of the year – when we step out of pages and screens to connect directly with our readers and share our hunger for knowledge.”

The goal of this Festival of Knowledge by the Mondadori Group magazine is to explore the crucial role of science in shaping our future, presenting the achievements of human knowledge in an accessible and engaging way. It does so through authoritative voices, innovative formats and a mix of styles and disciplines – blending arts, music, nature, theatre and biology, sport and technology – revealing unexpected connections between them.

Focus Live – Passione, open to the public and completely free (with registration), will feature a rich programme of talks, workshops and performances hosted in the Cavallerizze area of the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci, Italy’s largest science and technology museum, which for over 70 years has served as a bridge between the past and future of scientific culture.

To open this extraordinary edition, at 9:30 a.m. on Friday 7 November, Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus, will be joined by Fiorenzo Marco Galli, Director General of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, and Carlo Mandelli, Chief Executive Officer of Mondadori Media.

The official opening will be led by Samantha Cristoforetti, ESA astronaut, who will share her “space passions”, the challenges of life in orbit, and how space research contributes to progress on Earth, helping us understand our planet and paving the way towards a more conscious and sustainable future. The festival will close on Sunday afternoon with astrophysicist Luca Perri, following a day featuring CERN physicist Guido Tonelli on the science of the void, journalist Beatrice Mautino on fighting misinformation, and science communicator Massimo Temporelli with his notebook of formulas explaining the Universe.

Between these moments, an extraordinary line-up will animate the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner, and the Kids Area curated by Focus Junior, offering activities and discussions designed to inspire curiosity and reflection.

The topics will be wide-ranging. Medicine will explore the promise of gene therapy with Luigi Naldini, Director of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy, who will explain how cutting-edge tools are used to fight rare diseases and cancers. The future of food will be explored by Luciano Pinotti and Enzo Spisni as they discuss novel foods and the challenges on our plates. Pierdomenico Perata, from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, will talk about the RNA revolution, while Patrick Gerlich from Bayer Crop Science Italia will present innovations in agriculture. On the tech front, Gian Maria Campedelli, scientist and criminologist, will show how AI can be used to fight organised crime, Tommaso Andreussi will explain how satellites might one day “breathe” Earth’s atmosphere, and researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology will introduce visitors to a real cyborg.

Olympic fencing champion Mara Navarria, gold medallist in Paris 2024, will talk with journalist Giorgio Terruzzi about what it takes to deliver a winning strike. Astrophysicist Amedeo Balbi will explore our cultural obsession with the apocalypse, while communicator Federico Taddia will “enter Einstein’s mind” with the help of a live illustrator. Neurosurgeon Christian Brogna will describe the marvels of awake brain surgery, joined on stage by one of his patients, who played the saxophone during the operation. Journalist Matteo Bordone and ethologist Monica Battini will challenge myths about cats, while Elio e le Storie Tese will deliver a humorous yet serious lesson on musical passion. Biotechnologist Marco Martinelli and the Subito team will engage the audience in a quiz about second-hand treasures.

Special moments will punctuate the festival: on Friday, representatives of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 will showcase the most iconic Olympic and Paralympic symbols, including torches, medals and mascots Tina and Milo. On Saturday afternoon, physicist Marcello Fanti will explore the Star Wars universe from a scientific perspective, joined by official Star Wars cosplayers from the Disney Lucasfilm-recognised 501st Italica Garrison (the “villains”), Rebel Legion Italian Base (the “heroes”) and the pink droid R2-KT. That same day, a group of Templar reenactors will demonstrate daily life and rituals from the medieval order. Finally, on Sunday, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, will discuss energy transition. There will also be AI masterclasses, showing how to use artificial intelligence in everyday life, and the sweetest event of all: maître chocolatier Ernst Knam will take to the Main Stage to make chocolate live, revealing its fascinating chemistry and physics.

Experience Area

At Focus Live, science is not just something to watch or listen to — it is something to touch and do. The true heart of the Festival lies in the installations and workshops of the Experience Area, a multiverse of discovery where every corner promises a new adventure. The journey begins at the very dawn of time aboard the Big Bang Machine, a mobile installation (an enormous lorry) that takes visitors on a virtual odyssey back to the origins of the universe. Inside this space-time capsule, stars fuse, matter takes shape, and visitors learn how listening to cosmic signals is deeply connected to understanding our own planet. The exploration continues under the dome of an inflatable planetarium, where immersive films and live lectures unveil the secrets of the night sky. From there, a virtual leap transports visitors among the telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory to chase the flashes of light emitted by black holes. Moving from the vast to the minute, the adventure shifts to the building blocks of life: visitors can extract DNA in a hands-on lab or imagine the future of medicine at the Humanitas University stand. The journey then heads south to Antarctica, where visitors can step inside a real polar field tent used by researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca to drill ice cores — a rare chance to see the tools of extreme-environment research up close. Nearby, the micro-robots of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies await, along with Supercalcolo, super passione, an interactive installation designed and produced by Amigdala.ch in collaboration with Eni.It explores the hidden world of supercomputing — the silent power driving science, industry, and everyday life. Here, every visitor can create a unique text and voice narrative in real time, co-authored with artificial intelligence. To discover how everyday habits affect our health, the AIRC Foundation will present its Prevention Labs, where playful games and quizzes reveal the risks of alcohol consumption, debunk myths, and show how smoking harms not only smokers and those around them but also the environment. The robot artist of the Università Cattolica will weave kilometres of thread to create striking portraits and images, while in the Outdoor Area (Open Air Lab) visitors can test themselves on an artificial climbing wall (powered by Grotte di Frasassi), an exciting challenge with both physical and mental benefits.

Immersion in the world of science and technology will also be ensured for Focus Live visitors thanks to the Museum’s rich resources. Each day, festival participants can book guided tours of the Leonardo Galleries and the Space Area, step into the shoes of a real astronaut at Base Marte, or try The Touch, the innovative sensory escape game that blends reality and virtuality in a Mars-themed adventure. The brand-new i.lab Sostenibilità will also be open, inviting visitors — through games, experiments and immersive installations — to explore what makes a product or an action truly sustainable, taking into account every element within its wider, interconnected system.

These are just some of the many experiences awaiting visitors at Focus Live, thanks to installations created by outstanding partners including Humanitas University, the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the Italian Institute of Technology, the AIRC Foundation, the Catholic University of Milan, and the Polytechnic University of Turin.

Kids’ area

For children and young people aged 2 to 13, the Kids Area — curated as always by Focus Junior — will be even richer this year, filled with STEM workshops, a dedicated stage for talks, and activities designed to help kids discover the wonders of science in a creative and surprising way.

From the science and math labs run by Mondadori Education to drawing workshops with Carioca products and Pokémon, every experience will be an adventure to live firsthand. In collaboration with the Kosmos Museum of Pavia, kids can take a dive into the past with the Oceani Perduti station and, guided by palaeontologists, handle original fossils and casts of ammonites, trilobites, and ancient marine reptiles, uncovering the stories hidden in the rocks. Grotte di Frasassi will amaze visitors with a VR Experience, while Jordan Oral Care will teach young explorers about the dentition of animals and the evolution of human teeth from prehistory to today. In the new “no Wi-Fi” play area, kids can take on challenges with Kapla wooden constructions, rediscovering the joy of analog play.

For the youngest visitors, children up to age 7, Focus Pico will offer workshops to draw, colour, and have fun. There will also be plenty of shows: on Friday, November 7, the day kicks off with a super quiz on sustainability and environmental awareness by Grotte di Frasassi. At 11:00 am, Fondazione AIRC will present its new science show Ricerca(ta) speciale, a journey through experiments, quizzes, and theatrical scenes. Saturday, November 8 at 12:00 pm, the acrobatic family Mr David & the Family will astonish audiences with their performances. On Sunday, November 9 at 4:00 pm, Geronimo and Tea Stilton will meet fans for a show about inventions. Throughout the weekend, artist Raffaele Salvoldi will guide children and adults in building fascinating Kapla structures, transforming imagination into real wooden architecture. Among the special guests, on Saturday at 3:00 pm, science communicator Gianumberto Accinelli will give a talk on the animal world. It’s a perfect chance to experience science as play, learn while having fun, and discover that knowledge can be the most thrilling adventure of all.

The Creators

As in the past three editions, Focus Live 2025 will host the Creators’ Corner, a stage where digital communicators bring science and culture to life on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

This year, audiences will discover that the elements of the periodic table hide stories far more curious, and amusing, than one might think. Is it true, for instance, that drinking gold keeps you young forever? To answer that, there’s Eva Munter (@chimica_in_pillole). For those who’ve always dreaded math class, Professor Rocco Dedda (@unquartodoraconilprof) will share anecdotes that might just spark a passion for numbers. Giulia Ciccarelli (@medicina_in_cucina) and Giulia Biondi (@bilanciamo) will explain how to build a balanced menu, showing that eating is not just a necessity but a mix of culture, health, and well-being. Sara Figura (@laboratologia) will reveal the curiosities behind scientific research, while Silvia Casabianca (@madamstories) tackles a thought-provoking question: who really writes history? And that’s not all. Visitors will also meet the new faces of science communication, the top three finalists of FameLab Italia, the country’s first science communication talent competition, recently held in Perugia.

Special events

To enrich the schedule, as per tradition, on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 November at 8:30 pm, there will be two evening shows, free like all Focus Live events, combining entertainment, mystery, and, of course, science. Kicking off the 2025 special events, La scienza vista dal Basso will feature the hilarious Federico Basso hosting a live quiz that turns scientific curiosity and knowledge into an engaging game full of laughs and learning. On Saturday, the atmosphere turns thrilling with Delitto al museo, where Massimo Polidoro leads the audience through a crime scene set within the Leonardo da Vinci Museum. A captivating crime night showing how science, psychology, and the scientific method help investigators solve even the most complex cases. Two evenings, two different ways to experience science communication. Engaging, entertaining, and full of wonder.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6:30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

Bookings

Event bookings can be made at www.focuslive.it There are two timeslots available: morning (10 am–2 pm) and afternoon (2 pm–8 pm). Those who wish to stay for the whole day can, of course, book tickets for both sessions.

Partners and sponsors

This edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of numerous institutions, research centres, and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, and Università degli Studi di Trieste.

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security
PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia
CONTENT PARTNER: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education
OFFICIAL RADIO: R101
In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026
AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior
With the patronage of the City of Milan

The advertising for Focus Live is managed by Piemme S.p.A., the exclusive sales agency for Focus and other Mondadori Media brands.

The communication campaign and creative design of the event have been developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.

The full Focus Live 2025 programme: Schedule: Focus Live 2025

Mondadori Media, Italy’s leading digital and social publisher, will today present Mondadori Media Social TV during the opening day of Intersections 2025, the event dedicated to digital innovation, marketing, communication, creativity and technology. The project represents a highly innovative initiative that blends narrative frameworks and television-quality standards with the relational power of social media.

This new venture brings together the strength of Mondadori Media’s digital communities with serial storytelling: a cross-brand ecosystem involving GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, The Wom and Webboh, with a schedule of 12 new video formats and over 200 episodes per year, designed to move beyond passive scrolling.

A NEW ERA OF DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT

Mondadori Media Social TV emerges as the natural evolution of an editorial ecosystem that today counts more than 130 million followers, 500 million monthly video views and 25 million monthly interactions. It is a universe capable of engaging diverse and complementary audiences – from food lovers to fitness enthusiasts, beauty fans, and through to Gen Z and Gen Alpha – using the authentic and distinctive languages of each media brand.

With this initiative, the company inaugurates a new era of digital entertainment, recognising video as the most appealing and high-performing format, able to engage digital communities through compelling experiences and conversations.

Over the past few years, social networks have become an essential entertainment ecosystem in which Mondadori Media, already the market leader, reaches an audience comparable to some prime-time television programmes,” said Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media Digital and MarTech Hub. “With Mondadori Media Social TV, we are taking a further step in our innovation journey, offering content that combines the spontaneity of social media with the highest-quality television production values, with the aim of driving even greater loyalty and depth,” Santagata concluded.

NEW MEDIA POWERHOUSE

Creativity, production, community, social distribution and measurability are the pillars that have always defined Mondadori Media. Today the company is entering a new phase of growth with the launch of a New Media Powerhouse, an advanced structure with six production studios across Segrate, Milan and Rome, and a team of more than thirty specialists dedicated to creating original formats. It is a diverse and close-knit team capable of delivering high-quality original content, bringing together writers, video makers, directors and hosts, along with soundcheckers, graphic designers, guest stars, creators, make up artists and chefs.

Mondadori Media is strengthening its leadership in the sector through its ability to innovate digital communication, anticipate media consumption trends and enhance the strength of its communities through collaborative and cross-platform storytelling.

THE FIRST SCHEDULE OF MONDADORI MEDIA SOCIAL TV

Mondadori Media Social TV has a clear and specific goal: to combine the quality and rituality of television with the spontaneity and relational power of social media.

With intimate interviews, curious insights, engaging content and premium entertainment, all enriched by the empathetic tone that defines Mondadori Media’s brands, Mondadori Media Social TV has created an innovative editorial schedule organised into three main categories of new formats. These include Vodcasts, Shorts and On Demand content available on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube and Spotify, designed to offer ongoing, multi platform experiences to increasingly active and engaged communities.

VODCAST: Social talk shows made for the widescreen

• Discorsi in Osteria for The first GialloZafferano vodcast in which chef Cesare Battisti meets special guests and offers a unique and convivial take on food storytelling.
  On air from November, every Thursday at 18:00.
• Ti mando un vocale for GialloZafferano. Recipes that move the community come to life with Giovanni Castaldi, the brand’s Ambassador. The starting point is the community’s voice notes featuring memories of family recipes that become the stars of GialloZafferano’s kitchen.
  On air from January 2026, every Wednesday at 18:00.

• La ricetta che ti fa felice for Emotions in the kitchen. Favourite recipes from our creators brought to life with insights and advice from a psychologist who joins them on set. Each dish evokes a universal emotion.
  On air from January 2026, every Monday at 18:00.

• Il piatto bilanciato for GialloZafferano. Chef and brand ambassador Lulù Gargari offers advice with a nutritionist on how to compose dishes that are good for the body and pleasing to the senses.
  On air from January 2026, two Tuesdays per month at 18:00.

• La Palestra di MypersonalTrainer for Interviews with well known personalities from sport, fitness, lifestyle and entertainment, exploring wellbeing, physical activity and healthy living with radio host Francesco Giardina.
  On air from April 2026, every Monday at 18:00.

• MypersonalBeauty Room – MypersonalBeauty. A quick and lively format in which Beauty Expert Vera Grassia talks with industry experts about trending beauty topics, giving guests space to present products and tools.
  On air from November 2025, every Thursday at 18:00.

• Scomode for The Wom. Created and hosted by Valentina Lonati, the show tackles women’s issues and social themes with guests including Giorgia Soleri, Elena Cecchettin and Jolanda Renga.
  On air from November, every Wednesday at 18:00.
• La Macchina della Verità – Webboh. With Arianna Madonna. Polygraph interviews with top creators including Giorgia Mordenti and Cami Bocci.
  On air since last September, every Friday at 14:00.

• Specchio Riflesso for Claudia Mariani meets guests and creators to talk beauty tips and candid confessions.
  On air from December 2025, every Wednesday at 14:00.

SHORTS: Snackable video content

• The Wom Beauty Squad – The Wom. With Arienne Makeup as Makeup Artist and Squad Captain, joined by The Wom creators Alina Shevchuk (Hair Muse), Giulia D’Aloia (Fashion Talent), Anna Volpi (Skin Expert) and Nicole Spiga (Trend Detective), to explore trends, looks and tips in a TikTok style format.
  On air from September, every Wednesday and Friday at 15:00.

• Webboh on the Streets, Ask in the City, Taste and Tell and Vox Populi – Webboh. Micro stories and spontaneous interviews giving a voice to Gen Z on viral themes, trends and everyday passions.

On air during events, special occasions and current topics.

ON DEMAND – Tailor made branded content

A new line of integrated storytelling developed in collaboration with the automotive sector, with programmes launched in connection with specific partnerships. The format is divided into three sub categories. On the Road for GialloZafferano, where a GialloZafferano creator travels through Italian regions and food supply chains; One Day With… for MypersonalTrainer, which takes viewers inside a full day with an athlete or sports personality; Ask and Drive for The Wom, where a professional driver debunks biases and stereotypes about women and engines.

Mondadori Media is Italy’s leading social and digital publisher, with a distinctive position and audience within the publishing market. As the Mondadori Group’s social multimedia company, it speaks to the passions of Italians through its brands, from food to beauty, health and wellbeing, science and tech. It reaches targeted audiences every month with a total of 25 million unique web users (source: Audiweb, monthly average 2025) and a community of more than 132 million followers (source: Social Insight, September 2025).

How do young Italians experience money in the digital age? Do they trust app-based payments? Are they afraid of scams? And do they still feel the value of money that never passes through their hands?

These are the questions explored in the study “Touch, Pay, Trust”, conducted by Webboh LAB and the research institute Sylla, and presented today at the Salone dei Pagamenti, the international event promoted by the Italian Banking Association (ABI) and organized by ABIServizi.

The survey was carried out on a national sample of about 4,000 teens aged 14 to 19 (the so-called ExpoTeens), selected jointly from the Webboh community and the Webboh LAB panel, and representative by age, gender, and geographical area.

THE SURVEY FINDINGS

“Touch, Pay, Trust” isn’t a slogan—it’s the emotional grammar through which young Italians are learning to trust digital money,” said Furio Camillo, Professor at the University of Bologna and Scientific Director of Webboh LAB.

The study reveals that Gen Z sees money as a tool for freedom, independence, and self-fulfilment, while maintaining a strong focus on saving and financial education.

Family, education, and social context play a key role in shaping attitudes, while digital payments are seen as a gateway to autonomy—but also an area that demands awareness and caution, especially regarding cybersecurity.

Looking ahead, the new generations envision a smart, seamless, and integrated financial world, guided by a clear desire for personal control and independence.

The main findings follow below:

• Responsibility and fulfilment: what money means to Gen Z

Young Italians see money first and foremost as responsibility (8.6/10) and as a means to achieve their dreams (8.2/10).

Freedom comes next (7/10), while power and fun matter less (6.6 and 6.5). Only 3.6/10 associate money with a way to show off who you are.

For today’s youth, money isn’t power, it’s responsibility.

The younger Gen Z in particular sees it as a tool to build, not to appear.

• Saving and investing: awareness and a willingness to learn

Saving plays a central role: teens prefer to save rather than spend right away (7.2/10), viewing it as a way to make personal projects happen (8.3/10).

Investing is also seen as useful (7.1/10), and young people express a strong desire for more financial education to understand how it works (7.5/10).

In short, for Gen Z, saving means shaping their own future. And they would like more financial education.

It’s a generation that wants to learn about finance and rejects the idea that investing is only for adults.

• Digital payments and security: balancing convenience and caution

Digital payments are valued most for their speed (7.8/10) and convenience (6.9/10), but awareness around online security (7.1/10) and data protection (9.5/10) is growing.

When it comes to managing money online, 28% of young people say they trust only themselves, while 45% rely mainly on their parents. Interestingly, 16% place their trust in traditional banks.

For younger Gen Z, going digital isn’t about keeping up with the times, it’s about making life easier.

• Generational exchange: the family factor

Family still plays a key role. Around 40% of teens say they regularly use a parent’s or relative’s debit card, while 62% feel responsible when helping a grandparent make an online payment.

In nearly half of cases (49%), it’s parents who teach them how to use payment apps, although 30% learn on their own by experimenting.

Trust in digital money begins at home: parents remain the main touchpoint for financial security.

• Looking ahead: a smart, invisible future

When they picture the future, young people imagine payments that are invisible (38%) or more personalized and smart (39%), with only 4% expecting a return to cash.

Asked how they see digital money, 40% say “Trust is good, but I feel safer entering the PIN,” while 30% respond “Money isn’t everything, but I decide how to use it.”

The younger Gen Z doesn’t trust blindly — they live the digital world with active caution.
It’s the generation of “controlled trust”: to trust, but to verify.

• Influencing factors and socio-demographic differences

This study also provides a detailed overview of the dynamics that influence the financial behaviours of Italian Gen Z.

The analysis shows that parents’ education, level of study, occupation, and other socio-demographic factors significantly shape young people’s financial attitudes.

The survey highlights that:

• Family and parents’ education: children of more educated parents show greater trust in banks and their families, a more digital vision, and greater awareness of online risks.
• Level of education and autonomy: more educated young people display greater independence, a more digital view of money, and a stronger sense of responsible management.
• Age and gender: with age comes more autonomy and greater risk awareness; females tend to place more trust in their parents and show more caution, while males are more oriented toward independence and the use of digital systems.
• Geography and socio-economic context: the North and Centre favour trust in banks and digital awareness, while the South and Islands rely more on family and a traditional approach; the perceived quality of one’s living environment influences levels of trust, autonomy, and use of family bank cards.

• Six ways of living digital money

The cluster analysis identified six psychographic profiles that represent the different ways in which younger members of Gen Z interpret trust, control, and innovation in payments:

• Cashless Believers (20.5%)
• Detached Traditionalists (27.6%) – use physical cards, but without distrust.
• Cash Guardians (19.6%) – fear online theft and seek control.
• Digital Trust Seekers (16.3%) – demand transparency from banks.
• Confident Institutionalists (8.5%) – believe in the security of the banking system.
• Easygoing Digitals (7.5%) – use apps without worrying too much.
  Between trust and caution, 70% navigate the digital world demanding security and transparency.

The logical map of the six clusters reveals a generational landscape in full transformation.

Almost half of the younger Gen Z population moves between prudence and rational trust: the Detached Traditionalists and Digital Trust Seekers embody the moderate core of the system, more focused on transparency than innovation.

At the two extremes stand the Cash Guardians, who see digital systems as a threat to personal security, and the Cashless Believers, who have fully internalized the logic of “touch” as the natural language of money. In between, two interesting minorities emerge: the Easygoing Digitals, spontaneous but superficial, and the Confident Institutionalists, who represent systemic trust and a balance between technology and stability.

Overall, the younger Gen Z is not divided between those who trust and those who don’t, but rather between different ways of giving meaning to trust: from the need for control to the effortless spontaneity of the digital gesture.

“One in five young people is already fully aligned with the concept of cashless living, but more than a quarter remain tied to cash as a form of psychological control.
Between these two extremes lives the prudent majority of younger Gen Z, the ExpoTeens, who move through the digital world seeking security and transparency.”

The survey was presented by Professor Furio Camillo at Il Salone dei Pagamenti during the session “Payments 4.0 – Opportunities and Pitfalls in the Age of AI”, held in collaboration with FEduF – Fondazione per l’Educazione Finanziaria e al Risparmio. The event was attended by around 900 high school students.

Webboh is the leading media outlet for Generation Z in Italy. Founded in April 2019, it has been part of Mondadori Media since February 2023. It reaches over 6 million users each month across web and social channels (source: Social Incremental Reach Comscore, June 2025) and has a fanbase of 5 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp — 70% of whom are under 24. Webboh ranks among the top ten most influential Italian media brands on social platforms, and it is the number-one outlet for Generation Z in terms of engagement and video views (source: Top Italian Media Rankings by Prima Comunicazione, produced by Sensemakers).

Webboh Lab, born from the collaboration between Webboh and the research institute Sylla under the scientific supervision of Professor Furio Camillo, is the first Permanent Observatory on Generation Z in Italy. Its goal is to provide an authentic, data-driven picture of Gen Z, giving young people a voice through surveys and research that turn their opinions into actionable insights for companies, institutions, and the media.

Sylla is a research institute specializing in market surveys, economic analysis, marketing studies, and business development. It collaborates with national and international research centres, public institutions, communication agencies, and leading Italian universities including Bologna, Genoa, Trento, Turin, Politecnico di Milano, Università Cattolica di Milano, and Bicocca di Milano. Sylla is a member of ESOMAR and operates in full compliance with international professional ethics codes.

Mondadori Media, Italy’s publisher on social and digital platforms, will take centre stage at the second edition of “Intersections 2025“, the event dedicated to digital innovation, marketing, communication, creativity and technology taking place in Milan on November 5 and 6.

The company’s top editorial brands – GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, The Wom and Webboh – together withAdKaora, Hej!, AD cube and the creative agency Meaningfool will lead a shared storytelling journey exploring the new frontiers of digital communication. The best talents from across the group will share their expertise and best practices to demonstrate how innovation, content, data, technology and artificial intelligence can create value across the entire funnel, from brand awareness to sell-out.
All the power of creative, integrated, and collaborative intelligence will be on display through talks, workshops, and immersive activations, confirming the strength of the Mondadori Media ecosystem.

MONDADORI MEDIA’S PROGRAM AT INTERSECTIONS 2025

Join us across both days at stand 28 with Mondadori Media’s top brands: GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, The Wom, and Webboh, for the exclusive premiere of Mondadori Media Social TV, the new frontier of digital entertainment.  Visitors will get an inside look at the brand-new editorial schedule created by a cross-brand digital ecosystem, and experience a space brought to life by interactive activations. It will also be an opportunity to meet the teams behind the four media brands and explore new partnership opportunities together with Mediamond, Mondadori Media’s advertising partner.

• TALK WITH ANDREA SANTAGATA AND CESARE BATTISTI
  5 November | 3.30 pm @Engage Hub
  Mondadori Media Social TV: the new frontier of entertainment
  Featuring Andrea Santagata, CEO of Mondadori Media Digital area and MarTech, and chef Cesare Battisti, who has recently started a collaboration with GialloZafferano and Zenzero Talent Agency to unveil an exciting new project.

• WORKSHOP: EXPLORING THE NEW FRONTIERS OF ENTERTAINMENT
  6 November | 5.15 pm @Sala Amber 3
  Mondadori Media Social TV: an exclusive session featuring new, original formats from the media powerhouses GialloZafferano, MypersonalTrainer, Webboh, and The Wom.
  Featuring  Daniela Cerrato, CMO of Mondadori Media, Giulio Pasqui, founder of Webboh, and Francesco Giardina, host and face of MypersonalTrainer.
  During the workshop, the editorial lineup of Mondadori Media Social TV will be presented, a groundbreaking project that merges television and social media to create shared, participatory experiences.

ADKAORA AND THE MARTECH AREA: STRATEGY AND MOBILE INNOVATION

AdKaora and Hej!, the digital companies of Mondadori Media’s MarTech Pole, leaders in mobile innovation and proximity marketing, present two meetings dedicated to the world of AI and Retail Media.

• 5 November | 12.15 pm @Sala Amber 2
  Hej! & AD cube – From data to results, AI and media optimization in action
  On stage: Paolo De Santis, Coo of Hej! & Head of Business Development New Acquisitions MarTech Hub Mondadori Media, Alessandro Nuara, Chief Executive Officer of AD cube and Walter Ferrari, Chief Marketing Officer of AdKaora – Polo MarTech Mondadori Media.They will share real examples of how creativity, AI, and media optimization can be integrated effectively.
  The workshop will explore the potential of artificial intelligence applied to marketing, showing how data can be transformed into high-performing media strategies.

• 5 November | 3.45 p.m. @Sala Brown 3
  AdKaora | Retail Media in pharmacies: the Momentact case and the strategy from screen to sell-Out.
  Featuring Marianna De Vita, Head of Sales Rome and Agency Relationship Manager at AdKaora, Paolo Ingrosso, Chief Revenue Officer MarTech Hub Mondadori Media, Giuliana Maria Massari, Media Manager Angelini Pharma, and Francesco Prezioso, Trade Marketing Manager Angelini Pharma.
  AdKaora and Angelini Pharma will take the stage to showcase how data, technology, and creative formats can connect brand awareness to retail sell-out.
  Through the Momentact case, they will demonstrate how Retail Media in pharmacies can evolve into a strategic omnichannel lever, capable of measuring and amplifying the impact of communication.

WITH MEANINGFOOL FOR A CO-INTELLIGENT CREATIVITY

Meaningfool, the next-generation creative agency that helps brands grow in an increasingly vertical world, will take part in Intersections 2025 for the first time.

• 6 November | 5.15 pm @Sala Brown 1
  Practical Manifesto of co-Intelligent creativity: rethinking the creative process between humans and AI
  In his session, Padoan will explore how the dialogue between humans and artificial intelligence can become the heart of the creative process, building a true co-intelligence capable of inspiring new forms of thought and innovation.

ON THE MAIN STAGE: OPENING WITH NICOLÒ FAMIGLIETTI AND OTHER SURPRISES

The opening of Intersections on the main stage will once again feature Nicolò Famiglietti, Fitness Trainer, MypersonalTrainer Ambassador, and part of the Power Talent Agency team.
With an energizing workout, Nicolò will help the audience start the day with the right physical and mental charge, combining motivation and inspiration. At the close of both days, futuristic activations from the plenary stage will engage participants with surprise effects.
Finally, on November 5 at 4:30 PM, a special event — the Mondadori Media Fest in collaboration with Kühbacher Beer — will take place at Stand 28. The talk will be given by Fabio Padoan, CEO and Founder of Meaningfool.

Mondadori Media is Italy’s leading publisher across social and digital platforms, with a distinctive positioning and audience in the media landscape. The Group’s social multimedia company engages with the passions of Italians — from food to beauty, health & wellness, science, and technology — reaching every month highly vertical audiences with a total of 25 million unique web users (source: Audiweb, monthly average 2025) and a community of over 132 million followers (source: Social Insight, September 2025). AdKaora, the Mondadori Group’s digital company, drives mobile innovation and full-funnel, multichannel strategies. It offers data-driven solutions and impactful advertising formats that connect brand awareness and conversion. 

AdKaora. Depending on campaign goals, it activates the right audience through first-party DMP data, location-behavioural insights, and the vertical and premium publishers of the AdKaora Value Network. With its Advanced Proximity Suite and Retail Media channel in pharmacies, it enables measurable omnichannel strategies through advanced analytics and certified metrics such as footfall, sell-out, and brand lift.

Hej!, a Mondadori Group tech company, specialises in conversational marketing and AI applied to communication. Through its proprietary platform, transforms conversation into a strategic channel to generate qualified leads, sales and valuable insights.
With interactive formats and AI-powered tools — including on WhatsApp — it allows brands to create authentic dialogues, profile users, and optimize performance throughout the funnel.

Meaningfool is a creative agency that helps brands grow and become more relevant in an increasingly vertical world. It combines skills in strategy, creativity and holistic communication development with new channels and languages, performance, artificial intelligence, to create campaigns, special projects, social content, vertical videos with creators but also products dedicated to conversion, sales, drive to store.

The first edition of Il Festival dello Spettacolo, the first event in Italy and Europe entirely dedicated to all facets of entertainment, concluded on Sunday with resounding success. From Friday, October 24^th, to Sunday, October 26^th, from 10 a.m. until midnight, the Superstudio Più in Via Tortona 27, Milan, hosted three immersive days featuring exclusive interviews, masterclasses and workshops, film premieres, showcases and musicals, show cookings, and book signings. Over the weekend, the Festival attracted 15,000 visitors, with more than 300 guests, 160 shows, 3 evenings of live music performances, and 22 Telegatti awarded.

Created by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, Il Festival dello Spettacolo brought together television, series, cinema, music, sports, food, and kids’ entertainment in a non-stop program designed for all ages.

Among the many unforgettable moments across the event’s seven stages: Fiorello’s spectacular show with a surprise appearance by Fabrizio Biggio; Carlo Conti sharing exclusive previews of the upcoming Sanremo Festival and his on-stage meeting with Stefano De Martino; the ribbon-cutting ceremony with Gerry Scotti opening the Festival; Lorella Cuccarini celebrating her 40-year career and dancing La Notte Vola with fans; Marco Liorni playing L’Eredità’s iconic “Ghigliottina” with the audience; Rettore leading a massive karaoke on her greatest hits; the Bake Off Italia – Dolci in Forno cast baking alongside visitors; packed sessions with the casts of Call My Agent – Italia, Nord, Sud, Ovest Est.  La leggendaria storia degli 883, Un Professore, Un Posto Al Sole, and Il Paradiso delle Signore which displayed some of its priceless costumes for three days; the highly anticipated reunion of I Cesaroni; Andrea Lucchetta teaching children the rules of volleyball; the castings and show of Lo Zecchino d’Oro; tips from the cast of Casa a Prima Vista on buying a home; fans lining up for the signing session with Hazel Riley, Fabio Caressa and Benedetta Parodi playing games with audience members to present L’amore è cieco: Italia;  the enchantment continued with Winx – Winx Club: The Magic is Back show; with the special screening of Fuori la verità and a live appearance from its cast — Claudio Amendola, Claudia Gerini, Leo Gassmann, Lorenzo Richelmy and Eleonora Gaggero; Marco D’Amore took the stage to present Gomorra – Le Origini, while Sarah Toscano, Levante, Emma, and Clementino (who performed among the crowd) headlined electrifying showcases; the lineup also featured Irama, Gigi D’Alessio, Rovazzi, and Rocco Hunt, in collaboration with Radio 105, along with a live commentary session featuring Alberto Rimedio, Lele Adani, and Alessandro Antinelli; Federico Ferri, Director of SkySport, announced an exclusive upcoming interview with Jannik Sinner; while Michele Dalai and Massimo Ambrosini shared stories from the world of sport; the iconic Domenica Sportiva was celebrated on stage by Ciccio Graziani, Paolo Petrecca, Marco Lollobrigida, Laura Barth, and Lele Adani. Throughout the weekend, audiences had the chance to meet some of the biggest names in Italian entertainment: Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto, Michelle Hunziker, Renato Zero, Giorgia, Emma, Il Volo, Carolina Benvenga, Paola Perego, Giorgio Panariello, Simona Ventura, Stefano Accorsi, Roberto Bolle, Diego Abatantuono, Virginia Raffaele, Pio e Amedeo, Elena Sofia Ricci, Cristina D’Avena, the Gialappa’s Band and Mago Forest, Serena Bortone, Giovanni Allevi, Max Angioni, Gabriele Corsi, Tiberio Timperi, Max Giusti, Pierpaolo Spollon, Nino Frassica, Massimiliano Ossini and Daniela Ferolla, Andrea Iannone, and Filippo Tortu.

Festivalgoers brought boundless energy and emotion to every event, becoming the true stars of the weekend — greeting artists, taking selfies, and even participating in the Telegatti award presentations. The iconic yellow, blue, and fuchsia statuettes, displayed in special glass cases, were sometimes handed directly to winners by fans in the audience.
Among this year’s Telegatti recipients were Fiorello and Fabrizio Biggio, Carlo Conti, Gerry Scotti, Giorgia, Michelle Hunziker, Fabio Fazio and Luciana Littizzetto, Mara Maionchi, Roberto Bolle, Alfa, Salvatore Esposito, Benedetta Rossi, Lorella Cuccarini, Stefano De Martino, Irama, Renato Zero, Gigi D’Alessio, and Stefano Accorsi. 

Unforgettable memories from a spectacular weekend, and a promise to return in 2026 with even more magic!  Aldo Vitali, Editor-in-Chief of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, summed it up:

“This Festival was born from the dream of bringing Sorrisi from the magazine to the stage, creating a space where the audience could truly meet their favorite artists. Seeing 15,000 people join us with such enthusiasm showed that dream had come true. We experienced three extraordinary days filled with stories, laughter, music, and surprises, and plenty of Telegatti! I want to thank all the artists who believed in us, and the audience who supported us with affection and curiosity. Il Festival dello Spettacolo doesn’t stop here: we’ll see you in 2026, once again together, to celebrate the magic of entertainment.”

BOOM ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Huge success also on Instagram and TikTok, with over 200 dedicated posts shared in just three days of the Festival, reaching nearly 4 million users and generating 9 million video views. Promotional content in the weeks leading up to the event reached more than 15 million users. Outstanding performance on TikTok – the official entertainment partner of Il Festival dello Spettacolo – where millennials (under 34) made up 73% of the audience, compared to an average of 50% across all social platforms. The Festival’s dedicated pages on Sorrisi website (ilfestivaldellospettacolo.it) and Ticketmaster, the Festival’s official ticketing platform, recorded over 200,000 visitors during the event (sources:  Google Analytics, Meta, and TikTok Insights).

THE WINNER OF THE VERTICAL MUSIC CONTEST

During Il Festival Dello Spettacolo, the winner of the Vertical Music Contest was announced. A multimedia project created in collaboration with Interproject, designed to give emerging artists the opportunity to showcase their original songs through vertical videos, the format of social media. The jury inlcuded Assomusica, Ada Music Italy, a division of Warner Music Italy, FIMI – Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. The artist GABRIELE won a distribution contract for his unreleased track with ADA Music Italy, while the Critics’ Award, presented by TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, went to SEDONA.

All the highlights of Il Festival dello Spettacolo can be relived on the official Instagram channel, across all social media platforms, on the TV Sorrisi e Canzoni website, and in the special issue of Sorrisi, available at newsstands from Tuesday, October 28.

VIDEOS FROM THE MOST EXCITING MOMENTS OF THE THREE-DAY FESTIVAL

Friday 24^th, Saturday 25^th, Sunday 26^th October.

PARTNERS

Radio 105 was present throughout the three days of the event with a glass box studio next to the main stage, broadcasting live some of its most popular shows: 105 Friends with Tony & Ross, 105 Take Away with Daniele Battaglia and Camilla Ghini, 105 Music & Cars with Dario Spada and Fabiola, Tutto Bene a 105 with Linda Pani, Dario Micolani and Edoardo Mecca, 105 Village with Manola Moslehi, Open Club with Bryan Ronzani, and finally 105 Après-ski, the new show hosted by Niccolò Torielli.

SIAE – the Italian Society of Authors and Publishers and Ticketmaster (the Festival’s official ticketing platform) were also partners of this major project, which brought together leading players from the worlds of TV, cinema, streaming, and music including RAI, Mediaset, Sky, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Medusa, Disney+, Rainbow, Zero Distribution, and many others.

Lavoratti 1938, the historic artisanal chocolate maker founded in Varazze in 1938, delighted visitors with a corner shop offering sweet tastings of its fine chocolates and gifting special goodie bags to all Festival guests.

A key role in enriching the Festival dello Spettacolo program was played by the partners brought on board by Piemme, the exclusive advertising concessionaire of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni and the Mondadori Media brands. Together they created a series of tailor-made activations designed to offer exclusive and engaging experiences.

• Mutti achieved extraordinary public success in the Living Area, winning over visitors with a surprise brand experience: twice a day, the brand served delicious plates of tomato pasta, without revealing which product had been used. Only after finishing their meal did participants discover a message at the bottom of the plate revealing the secret ingredient, breaking down preconceptions about ready-made sauces. The experience carried a clear message: “Since 1899, you’ve cooked with us. Today, we cook for you.”
• KIKO Milano brought its beauty energy to the heart of the Festival with an open glass box in The Stage area, where hundreds of visitors enjoyed free make-up sessions. Behind the scenes, six dedicated stations took care of the looks of artists and guests, making the brand a star both onstage and backstage.
• Grotte di Frasassi amazed visitors with an immersive VR experience, allowing them to explore the stunning underground world of the Marche region’s cave complex through Oculus Quest 2 headsets, from the tourist paths to areas usually accessible only to expert speleologists.
• The Sport Area, powered by Fastweb + Vodafone, hosted talks and meetings with leading figures from the world of sports, offering the public moments of inspiration and exchange.
• To complete the Festival’s visual storytelling, Enel and ITA Airways animated the spaces with institutional video spots displayed on large screens throughout the venue.
  A combination of engaging, personalized experiences made Il Festival dello Spettacolo a vibrant, dynamic event deeply connected to its audience.

Once again, ActionAid was the official charity partner of TV Sorrisi e Canzoni, continuing the collaboration that began in Sanremo. The partnership shines a spotlight on the right to education for girls, ensuring that — wherever they are born — they can fulfill their dreams and live free from violence and discrimination. ActionAid also hosted the talk “Voices from Tanzania with ActionAid: when education becomes freedom,” sharing with the audience their July field mission to Tanzania carried out with Sorrisi.

AdKaora, the international Martech digital agency of the Mondadori Group, together with Hej!, specialised in conversational marketing, and Meaningfool, a next-gen creative agency partly owned by Mondadori Media, supported Alcon in promoting the free trial of its Precision1 contact lenses at the new pop-up in Piazza Gae Aulenti, in the Porta Nuova district of Milan.

The three companies designed a complete funnel, where digital strategy, creator-led video content, performance marketing and in-store experience come together to create an integrated drive-to-store campaign, running from September 16th to December 15th.

With this project, AdKaora, Hej! and Meaningfool launched a new framework that combines data, technology, media and creativity, redefining both the user experience and the relationship between digital channels and physical retail spaces, while measuring the overall impact.

THE DRIVE-TO-STORE CAMPAIGN

AdKaora implemented a mix of channels and technologies to reach the target audience and drive traffic to the pop-up. Interactive rich media formats were used to boost engagement and raise product awareness, while a blend of display and social drive-to-store activities increased visibility and encouraged visitors to experience the event in person. Key measurement tools included Footfall analysis – to assess the campaign’s impact on pop-up visits – and Brand Lift studies to evaluate campaign effectiveness in terms of brand recall and perception, while also gathering valuable socio-demographic insights on the target audience.

Hej! brought its expertise in Conversational Performance Marketing to the project, integrating a conversational strategy that used personalised messages and customer journeys to generate interest, inform users about the features of the lenses, and guide them towards booking a free trial at the pop-up. This one-to-one approach not only improved the quality of the leads collected but also strengthened customer relationships, offering seamless integration with Alcon’s booking system.

Meaningfool, meanwhile, designed and produced a UGC video campaign on Meta that ran throughout the entire funnel. Three creators brought the pop up’s storytelling, built around the parallel between finding the right “feeling” with your contact lenses and in a romantic relationship, to a new, more ironic level. The free trial of Precision1 lenses became a playful opportunity to see people better on first dates, the complimentary pouch for visitors turned into a place to stash failed flings, and the pocket mirror became a tool to spark a chance encounter on the street. The creators guided the audience through every step: sharing full details of the initiative, recounting their own first hand experience, and highlighting the top three reasons not to miss the trial.

The two performance campaigns that closed the funnel, both aimed at driving online bookings, included a first video with multiple creative variants for testing, followed by a second retargeting video.

A journey into the heart of research, from space exploration to genetics, from the Big Bang to music. A place to meet astronauts, scientists, athletes, artists and science communicators, to experience science first-hand in every dimension, to explore discoveries and innovations, to learn through curiosity and fun, and to offer everyone the chance to understand and explore our universe in an interactive, engaging way. All this and more is Passion, the theme chosen for the new edition of Focus Live 2025, taking place at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan from 7^th to 9^th November, with three days of talks, workshops and immersive experiences.

The Festival of Knowledge, created and organised by Focus –  Italy’s most widely read magazine among enthusiasts of technology, science, sustainability and innovation, directed by Gian Mattia Bazzoli  – reaches its eighth edition this  year, confirming the success of a format that in 2024 attracted and engaged more than 18.000 visitors.

“As every year, Focus Live returns in November. In this new edition, everything is connected by a single thread: passion. This theme truly represents us: it drives the Focus editorial team, and we know it belongs to our readers too, who have always been passionate about science and discovery. But it’s also what we’ve seen in the countless scientists, astronauts, communicators, athletes and explorers who’ve joined us over the years. We’ve seen them up close, met them, and watched them in action. Beyond their undeniable expertise – and sometimes genius – there’s always something they share: an inexhaustible energy. We’ve realised that this passion is what drives a researcher not to give up and an explorer to look beyond the horizon. And it’s exactly this energy we’ll be celebrating from 7^th to 9^th November at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci in Milan,” said Gian Mattia Bazzoli, Editor-in-Chief of Focus.

Open to the public and completely free of charge (booking required), Focus Live has, for eight years, invited people to reflect on the crucial role of science in shaping our future, and to explore the achievements of human knowledge in an accessible, engaging way: from physics to medicine, biology to genetics, environmental protection to technology and digital communication. Throughout the festival, visitors will be guided on an experiential and exploratory journey to discover how, even in science – where method and rationality reign supreme – passion, together with curiosity, is the essential force that drives researchers to persevere and redefine our future.

Focus Live 2025 will open on Friday 7^th November at 10 a.m. with a very special guest: ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, who will share her “space passions”, between personal experiences and reflections on the future of space exploration and research.

The programme will feature over 100 events, with innovative formats, a mix of genres and disciplines – music and nature, theatre and biology, sport and technology, cooking – and a wide range of authoritative voices animating the Main Stage, Speakers’ Corner, Creators’ Corner and Kids Area.

The festival will come to life across its stages, each opening a window on curiosity. On Main Stage, leading figures from science and culture will explore some of today’s most fascinating and topical themes. Among them: how our body might react if it had superpowers; the new frontiers of genetic research with Luigi Naldini, Director of the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy; the Olympic championMara Navarria on science, sacrifice and the joy of achieving a dream; journalist Matteo Bordoneanalysing the age-old bond between humans and cats; physicist Guido Tonelli exploring the “wonder of the quantum void”; and Massimo Temporelli, who will literally draw physics live on stage. Visitors will also discover the chemistry of chocolate with Ernst Knam, learn how neuroscience reveals the unconscious mechanisms behind our purchasing choices with Vincenzo Russo, hear the extraordinary story of a musician who underwent brain surgery while awake with neurosurgeon Christian Brogna, and learn how to avoid the traps of pseudoscience with Beatrice Mautino. The Main Stage will also host key institutional voices, including Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Italy’s Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, who will address the topic of the energy transition.

For those seeking a more focused and personal deep dive, the Speakers’ Corner will offer direct contact with experts. This space will host in-depth dialogues, where visitors can, for example, watch the 3D printing of organs with the University of Milan, explore how artificial intelligence can help prevent crime, discover how organoids work with Simona Lodato  from Humanitas University, and debunk fake news about neurodivergence withAntonella Costantino. They will also be able to look at the future of agriculture with Patrick Gerlich, and go in search of lost civilisations with Carolina Orsini from Mudec in Milan. Next door, the Creators’ Corner will give a platform to digital science communicators who bring science to life on social media every day. For younger visitors (aged 2 to 13), the Kids Area, curated by Focus Junior, will feature a 300-square-metre laboratory where children can discover the joy of STEM subjects by getting hands-on with science. Throughout the festival, attendees can book guided tours of the Leonardo Galleries and the Spazio Area, step into the shoes of a real astronaut at Base Marte, or try The Touch, an innovative sensory escape game blending reality and virtuality in a Mars-based adventure. The new i.lab Sostenibilità will also be open, inviting visitors—through games, experiments, and immersive installations—to understand what makes a product or an action sustainable, taking into account every element within its wider system.

Among the confirmed guests are researcher Nicole Soranzo, who studies the DNA of Europeans; Elio e le Storie Tese, who will deliver a “very serious” lesson on their unique vision of musical passion; astrophysicists  Amedeo Balbi and Luca Perri, and science communicator Federico Taddia with a surprising take on Albert Einstein.

Rounding out the programme will be two evening shows: on Friday 7^th November at 8.30 pm, Federico Basso will host La scienza vista dal Basso, a light-hearted quiz show that makes learning about science fun; while on Saturday 8^th November at 8.30 pm, Massimo Polidoro will present Delitto al museo, an immersive crime night that will take participants inside the minds of investigators and the labs of forensic scientists to solve a mysterious case set in the museum itself.

The festival will close on Sunday at 6.30 pm with Luca Perri and Giacomo Moro Mauretto in La passione è un motore o un freno a mano?

What’s new

Many new features for this year’s edition of the festival. The first big news is that Focus Live 2025 will take place in the Cavallerizze area of the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. Located next to the Enrico Toti submarine, between the Monumental Building and the Aeronaval Pavilion, the Cavallerizze are today the result of an important architectural restoration and urban redevelopment project. Originally built in the 19^th century, when the Olivetan monastery was converted into barracks, the spaces feature vast interiors, exposed brick walls and large windows.

Inside, visitors will find a large 5-metre-diameter inflatable planetarium, created in collaboration with PLANit. This won’t just be a place to gaze at the night sky, but a truly immersive, hands-on experience.

There will also be another stage — the most immersive of all — located in the Outdoor Area. After all, passion is not just something to listen to, but something to live. The Experience Areas will be richer than ever: visitors can step inside a tent used by researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca for ice core drilling in glaciers and Antarctica, travel back in time to the Big Bang aboard a massive EGO Observatory truck, explore new worlds through virtual reality headsets, or play with the geometric tessellations of Università Cattolica. They can also test their skills on simulators, challenge artificial intelligence systems, or try rock climbing on an artificial wall — an exciting activity with wide-ranging physical and mental benefits.

Eni will also be part of Focus Live, presenting Supercalcolo, Super passione, an installation designed by Amigdala.ch (a Swiss studio specialising in new technology applications). The project explores the power of supercomputing — the silent force behind research, industry and everyday life — and builds unique stories in real time. Each visitor, through their own choices, will have the chance to create a personalised narrative with AI, both in text and voice form.

Event booking opens today on www.focuslive.it Two time slots are available: morning (10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) and afternoon (2:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m). Those wishing to stay all day can, of course, book both sessions.

Waiting for Focus Live 2025

Once again, Focus Live extends beyond its three festival days with a series of preparatory events, offering audiences a chance to experience science and culture in advance. For the first time, Aspettando Focus Live has expanded beyond Milan — visiting Naples in May and soon Turin, where on 25^th October at 3:15 p.m. at the Infini.to Planetarium, the event Sotto le stelle di Torino a caccia di nuovi mondi will take place — an immersive journey through exoplanets with astrophysicists. Davide Gandolfi and Gloria Guilluy, experts in exoplanetary research and climate.

Partners and sponsors

This year’s edition of Focus Live is made possible through the collaboration and support of a wide range of institutions, research centres and universities, including: ADMaiora, ASI, Business&Roads, European Gravitational Observatory (EGO), ESA, FBK, Human Technopole, IIT, INAF, Istituto Superiore Sant’Anna, JRC – Joint Research Centre, Kosmos, PLANit – Associazione dei Planetari Italiani, Politecnico di Torino, Smonting, Think About Science, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università degli Studi di Milano, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Università degli Studi di Trieste.

Focus Live is a Mondadori Media event, organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci and numerous partners.

MAIN PARTNERS: Eni, Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

PARTNERS: Bayer, Grotte di Frasassi, Humanitas University, Jordan Oral Care, Subito, Toyota Motor Italia

CONTENT PARTNERS: AIRC Foundation for Cancer Research, Mondadori Education

OFFICIAL RADIO: R101

In collaboration with the Cultural Olympiad of Milan Cortina 2026

AREA KIDS powered by Focus Junior

Advertising sales for Focus Live are managed by Piemme S.p.A., the brand’s exclusive advertising agency.

The communication campaign and creative concept for the event set-up were developed by Zampe Diverse, with production and organisational management by Left & Right.

Young women are calling for a new narrative around STEM. One that is more inclusive, creative and inspiring. This is the key finding from the survey conducted by The Wom, the digital magazine that has become a benchmark for new generations, in collaboration with the Sylla Research Institute and under the scientific supervision of Professor Furio Camillo. The results were previewed in Milan during the STEM Women Congress 2025, the international event that promotes the participation and visibility of women in the fields of science and technology.

The research, entitled “Donne, STEM e Futuro (Women, STEM and the Future)”, is based on more than 500 questionnaires completed by Gen Z and Young Millennial women from The Wom community. The findings reveal a generation determined to change the rules of the game:

• One in three already studies or works in a STEM field;
• One in five has felt discouraged from choosing a scientific path;

Despite this, 84% consider STEM careers stimulating, and 50% also see them as creative, a strong signal that overturns the old stereotype of science as something cold, dull or “for nerds”.

Additional insights from the research

Awareness and knowledge:

• 58% know what the acronym “STEM” stands for (rising to 66% among teenagers, the most informed group);
• 51% still associate “STEM” with the male world, although the other half of respondents do not;
• 39% of under 18s see women in STEM as pioneers and role models for others (the overall average falls to 29%);

Persistent stereotypes:

• 79% have heard at least once that “girls aren’t good at maths”;
• 45% have heard that motherhood is an obstacle (“they have children, so they have other priorities”);

Perceived barriers:

• 55% identify work-life balance as the main challenge to pursuing a STEM career;
• 51% believe the gap stems from an education system that still favours boys;
• 50% feel there are few opportunities for growth and leadership;

A new vision: from “safe careers” to “careers that change the world”

For 51% of respondents, women who pursue a career in STEM are still largely seen as exceptions in a male-dominated world. However, there is a clear need to reshape the narrative around STEM disciplines – moving beyond numbers and financial security to highlight creativity, social impact and empowerment. This is reflected in the “headlines” that resonate most with young women:

• “Girls changing the world with technology” (34%);
• “Not just numbers, but the future” (32%);
• “Where creativity is also science” (29%);

Only 5% recognise the role of STEM subjects in helping to secure employment (“the key to having a stable job in the future”), a sign that perceptions around STEM careers are shifting.

Alongside iconic role models such as Samantha Cristoforetti and Fabiola Gianotti, scientific digital creators (24%) are also gaining influence — figures like Ilaria Lucrezia Rossi, a physicist and science communicator known for her @shescience profile, are seen as accessible role models who can inspire others through social media.

More women in STEM: how?

To build a more equitable future in STEM, women surveyed – 60% of whom said they would like more support and training – identified education and communication as the key areas for improvement:

• inclusive events starting from middle school
• fair and motivating school guidance
• eliminating stereotypes in media and language
• better work–life balance.

“The survey reveals a strong desire for change within The Wom community. The findings clearly show the need to evolve towards a STEAM perspective that integrates the arts and recognises creativity as a vital element in nurturing innovative thinking,” said Daniela Cerrato, CMO of Mondadori Media, during the presentation of the data. She added: “The young women we spoke to are calling for a shift in the collective imagination, which must also come through better representation in the media – so that science and technology finally become accessible and sustainable career choices. That’s the mission that drives The Wom every day.”

“With the Milan Congress, we wanted to go beyond simple discussion: we built a narrative shaped by data and diverse voices – scientists, artists, companies and, above all, young people – who showed us how STEM can and must be a source of inspiration and real opportunity for the next generations,” said Morena Rossi, Head of Content for SWC 2025, and Laura Basili, President of Stem Women Congress Italy.

The Wom at the forefront of the future of STEM

With this research, The Wom reaffirms its mission to give voice to young women by exploring the perceptions, motivations and barriers that bring them closer to – or distance them from – scientific and technological careers. The aim is to provide qualitative insights that enrich the institutional debate and contribute to a more inclusive and effective narrative around STEM careers, offering valuable guidance for brands as well.

As media partner of the second Italian edition of the STEM Women Congress – the international event promoting women’s participation and visibility in science and technology, which brought together scientists, artists, companies and young people for a day of talks, panels and performances – The Wom also took part in the panel “Intelligenza artificiale o ipnosi culturale? (Artificial Intelligence or Cultural Hypnosis?)”  The discussion, moderated by Valentina Lonati, Culture Editor of The Wom, offered a critical and multidisciplinary perspective on one of today’s most relevant topics: the impact of artificial intelligence on education and culture. The debate featured leading experts, communicators and academics.

In addition to The Wom’s “Women, STEM and the Future” survey, the event also presented the latest ISTAT data on STEM and the first Stem Women Annual Report Italy, with the goal of increasing the visibility of women in science and technology and promoting a new, inclusive vision for the future.

At the close of the morning session, The Wom presented the STEM Woman Award to Filomena Floriana Ferrara, CSR Country Manager at IBM Italy.

Award rationale: Filomena Floriana Ferrara stands out as a pioneer in the field of computing, both as a project leader and mentor. She combines digital innovation, technological expertise and social responsibility, and through her education initiatives for young women she has fostered empowerment in the STEM sector, offering a direct bridge between personal experience and inspiration for the future, in line with the values of The Wom.

The research can be downloaded at this link.

The Wom is the leading social magazine for Italian women, dedicated to the younger generation and focused on sharing real stories while promoting self-acceptance. It is a key reference point for young women on Instagram, with a combined following of over 10 million, and reaches more than 9 million unique users each month across web and social platforms (Comscore Social Incremental Reach, average last three months). In 2023, The Wom was awarded at the Diversity Media Awards for “Miglior articolo web (Best Web Article)” and in 2025 received, together with the Mondadori Group, the Special Advisory Board Award “Assolombarda per il sociale (Assolombarda for the social).”

The Sylla Research Institute specialises in the design and implementation of market research studies. Its scientific director is Professor Furio Camillo.