Focus

Mondadori Media, Italy’s leading multimedia publisher with 55.5 million fans on social networks, has signed a partnership with Twitter to join the Twitter Amplify program, which allows the possibility to amplify and promote video contents on the platform, reaching an even wider audience.

The agreement involves the Twitter accounts of the Mondadori Media brands Giallozafferano, MyPersonalTrainer, TheWom, Smartworld, Focus, NostroFiglio and Studenti, which are real points of reference in vertical segments linked to the passions of Italians – from cooking to wellness, from technology to science and training – with 1.6 million followers overall.

The partnership highlights the strength of Mondadori Media, chosen as an important partner to get in touch with valuable audiences through innovative content, relying on consolidated know-how in the production of videos for social media: an area in which Mondadori Media has already strong experience and leadership, thanks to an internal team dedicated to the co-production of editorial content with partner brands and successful special projects.

Thanks to this agreement, Mondadori Media and Twitter will offer partner companies the possibility of inserting pre-roll advertising videos, before the contents published by the Mondadori Media brands.

Mondadori Media will further expand the development of branded content social projects and initiatives on Twitter. This will extend the opportunities for companies and investors interested in reaching new audiences based on their needs and in an authoritative, transparent and highly interactive context thanks to the involvement of the Mondadori Media brand communities, making advertising communication ever more effective.

Surrender to the suggestive biodiversity of the sea and the secrets of its extraordinary ecosystem through the language of illusion. Until 31 January 2022, the University of Milano-Bicocca is hosting “IllusiOcean™”, an exhibition conceived and coordinated by Paolo Galli, professor of ecology at the university, and created in collaboration with Mondadori Media and the National Museum of Cinema in Turin.

The aims of the exhibition dedicated to the sea include raising awareness – among civil society, schools of all levels, the academic world and the scientific community – of the importance of achieving the sustainable development objectives for oceanic sciences set by the United Nations for the decade (2021-2030) of oceanic sciences, in particular Goal 14: to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.

The exhibition is an interactive experience divided into three thematic areas.

The first area consists of four rooms and two corners, each examining an aspect of the sea: from the biodiversity of tropical marine ecosystems to the problem of plastic pollution.

The exhibition path begins with a corner dedicated to “Virtual Reality” where, thanks to 3D viewers, visitors can explore the wonders of the world’s coral reefs and discover the process of coral restoration. It is also possible to simulate the sensory experience of an underwater geyser and enjoy an special natural spectacle.

In the “Sottomarino delle illusioni” (Submarine of Illusions) visitors can dive into the depths of the Maldives, an archipelago that hosts some of the world’s largest coral reefs: an area of over 4500 km² of extraordinary biodiversity and nearly 300 different species of coral. In this room, visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the marine organisms that shelter here. But to do this, they will have to sharpen their senses: walking from one side of the space to the other, where they will see the figures shrink or enlarge and algae and fish that transform into strange shapes.

The “Stanza degli specchi” (Room of Mirrors) places us among schools of jellyfish, fascinating marine animals that are found in seas around the world, where they float, driven by currents. And among the luminous umbrellas of these creatures, we can also see traces of the all-too-human threat called pollution.

This room was designed with the support of master glassmaker Fabio Fornasier from Murano, who created glass jellyfish using the traditional manual method and reproduced – also in glass – some of the many plastic objects that infest our seas.

The room “Mare sotto i Riflettori, il cinema racconta gli oceani” (The Sea in the Spotlight, the cinema and the oceans) is the result of collaboration with the National Museum of Cinema in Turin. This section offers a new interactive experience with all the magic of underwater filming, with clips, objects and unique curiosities. “The relationship between man and then sea has always been one of the recurring themes in the history of cinema,” said Domenico De Gaetano, director of the National Museum of Cinema, “our fascination with the underwater world lends itself well to illusions and special effects and we are delighted with this prestigious collaboration, which allows us to show another fascinating side of the Seventh Art.”

The sea is a treasure chest containing many different species of animals and plants: some are easy to spot, others hide and blend in. To recognise them, you need an expert eye, patience and a lot of attention. In the “Labirinto dei segreti marini” (Labyrinth of marine secrets) children from three to five years old can have a lot of fun looking for them and getting lost among the walls of this special room

The second corner, “Messaggio in Bottiglia” (Message in a Bottle), takes us back in time, to when letters were placed in glass bottles and thrown into the sea letting the currents carry them ashore. Fortunately, today we no longer need to throw a message into the ocean to communicate with the world: but through the “ocean that is the web”, visitors can launch their own message of hope to be launched on social networks using a virtual glass bottle.

The second area of the exhibition features 30 giant photographs, taken by some of the greatest experts in underwater photography – including Massimo Boyer – and depicting the evocative illusions created by nature that make our oceans so spectacular: the mimicry of some species of fish, for example, or the phenomenon that generates the effect of underwater waterfalls in Mauritius, in the Indian Ocean.

The third block is dedicated to the work done by high -chool students from the Vittorio Veneto and Luigi Cremona scientific high schools in Milan and the Emilio Sereni Agricultural Technical Institute in Rome. In recent months, around 500 students participated in the “Percorsi per le Competenze Trasversali e per l’Orientamento” (Paths towards Crossover Skills and Orientation) by designing and creating parts of the exhibition: reconstructions of models of the seabed, scientific games, illustrative posters, drawings and audio guides for visitors.

“With IllusiOcean the Milano-Bicocca University takes another important step towards restarting after the pandemic, inviting schools, families and citizens to discover an exhibition dedicated to the sea. We are delighted to inaugurate this exhibition which, thanks to the language of illusions, is not only great fun, but also encourages us to reflect on one of the priorities set by the UN 2030 Agenda: the protection of the health of the sea. It’s a challenge in which our researchers are engaged every day in the study of sustainable development solutions for the protection of the marine ecosystem,” said Deputy Rector, Marco Orlandi.

The exhibition is free and open to the public every Friday from 11am to 6pm and on Saturdays, twice a month, at the same times, at the Galleria della scienza (Buildings U1/U2, 1^st floor, Piazza della Scienza, Milan).

Entrance is by reservation only and you can book on the  illusiocean.it website and present your green pass (vaccination passport) at the door.

In addition, every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 8am to 10am or from 11am to 1pm, by writing to illusiocean@unimib.it, you can book guided tours for schools.

Thanks to collaboration with Mondadori Media, from the end of October the “IllusiOcean™” exhibition will also be available online, exclusively on the website of Focus, Italy’s most widely read monthly, a reference point for fans and enthusiasts of technology, science, nature, medicine and innovation. By accessing the dedicated section of Focus.it., users can navigate in immersive mode inside the rooms of illusions and discover, in a virtual journey, many curiosities about the sea and its inhabitants.

“The Milano-Bicocca University exhibition organised by Professor Paolo Galli on the optical illusions and the sea is original, stimulating and fun. Three adjectives that have always been part of the DNA of Focus and it was therefore natural for us to offer our partnership to IllusiOcean.  A partnership that, in addition to narrating and describing the exhibition, allows people to visit the exhibition also virtually on Focus.it,” said the editor of Focus, Raffaele Leone. “It is original because it is the result of an original and creative idea; stimulating because it wants to encourage us to reflect on the wonders of the sea and the need to preserve them; fun because it communicates playfully with the special effects of optical illusions. How could Focus not be there?”

And the experience with “IllusiOcean™” is not limited to the exhibition. Throughout the exhibition period, a rich programme of initiatives promoted by Focus and Focus Junior, the magazine that is a point of reference for kids, has been planned to raise the awareness of readers, teachers and students about the marine world and explore the issues raised by the initiative. Starting from the issue of Focus on newsstands this month, which is entirely dedicated to the importance of water: from the cycle of the sea, the planet’s real liquid engine, to the life of the cetaceans that populate the waters of our peninsula, to the story of the coral clinic in the Maldives, with lots of other special unmissable content.

Every week, on focusjunior.it and the magazine’s social media channels, young people can also find insights and curiosities on the issues raised by the exhibition, but not only. In fact, they can also share photos, articles, ideas and suggestions for looking after the seas and oceans with the editorial team, using the email address focusjunior@focusjunior.it: and the most original content will be published both online and in the magazine. “Children, and young people in general, are worried about climate change and the future of the planet: so, as always, Focus Junior gives voice to their thoughts and ideas,” said Sarah Pozzoli, the editor of Focus Junior.

The exhibition is sponsored by the Società italiana di Ecologia (Italian Society of Ecology) – (S.It.E), the Lombardy Region and the City of Milan.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand, leader in the popular science segment, once again confirms its role as a point of reference for all enthusiasts about issues related to science, technology and nature, and introduces an even richer offer. 

With over 3.1 million readers every month (Source: Audipress, 2021/I), the magazine edited by Raffaele Leone underlines its position as Italy’s most widely read monthly thanks to a successful formula which has always managed to combine authoritative contributions from internationally renowned scientists and experts, with an unmistakable style that is both clear and direct and able to reach an increasingly large audience.

Every day Focus makes the most recent discoveries accessible and engaging, helps readers to navigate around fake news and broaden awareness and understanding of the evolution of the most recent discoveries through a multimedia system that includes the magazine and the web, special events such as Focus Live, as well as podcasts and social media, where its numbers continue to grow. The brand’s community currently has more than 3.2 million fans (Source: Shareablee and Insight, June 2021), an increase of 17% compared with 2020 thanks to a rich schedule of engaging and instructive content, reaching a peak organic reach of over 1 million per post.

Plus, it is going to be a summer of new features for Focus, that is enhancing its offer with special content and new editorial initiatives.

Starting with the magazine, which will be on newsstands in July and August with two double issues: both of which will, exceptionally, add to the features and columns of Focus 40 pages of Focus Domande & Risposte, (Questions & Answers) to satisfy the curiosity of everyone and provide answers to the most incredible and interesting facts: from the animal world to technology, and from history to health, as well as food, sport and economics.

And, for the first time, Focus will bring to newsstands the “Focus Guides”, two exclusive collectors’ volumes to explore and admire the 101 UNESCO Heritage Sites, available from 30 July. The first volume “Paesaggi e natura” (Landscapes and Nature) features an account of the most beautiful and suggestive sites in every country, from the Great Wall in China to the Galapagos Islands, and the extraordinary Italian villages of the Cinque Terre. The second volume “Arte e civiltà” (Art and Civilisation) will be a journey of discovery of the world’s cultures and the symbolic sites of history.

The launch of these initiatives will be enhanced by an advertising campaign conceived to amplify the new features among the target audience, and planed across various media, from the magazines and newspapers, as well as radio, social media and TV.

These activities also confirm Focus as a dynamic brand that is always careful to satisfy the needs of a highly curious and interested public looking to discover and understand the world through the lens of science.

Focus and Focus Junior, the Mondadori Group brands, leaders in the popular science segment, are the media partners of “IllusiOcean™”, an exhibition developed by the Milano-Bicocca University, in collaboration with the National Museum of Cinema in Turin, dedicated to the wonders of the sea.

This initiative will enable Focus – Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 6.4 million readers and users and a multimedia communication system that includes the web, a TV channel, social media and events – to strengthen its commitment to safeguarding the planet, through the promotion of the sustainable development goals of the UN Agenda 2030 aimed at readers, students and teachers that will continue throughout the year.

The exhibition has been conceived with the aim of raising public awareness of the marine environment and its creatures, using the fascinating world of illusions capable of altering our perception of reality in a fun and surprising way.

This itinerant project, that will start on 1 October in Milan and have a digital life, thanks to an exclusive collaboration with Focus that will offer users the opportunity to visit the exhibition on its website: with an immersive experience that users will be able to navigate within “rooms of illusions” and discover a range of curiosities about the sea and its inhabitants.

Constantly in support of exclusive events related to the world of science, the Mondadori Group’s contribution to the sector revolve around Focus, Focus Junior, Focus Pico and Focus Scuola will also accompany readers in the coming months and throughout the entire period of the exhibition with a rich programme of initiatives: insights, digital workshops, webinars and special content from the magazines, on social media and the web.

“When I met Professor Paolo Galli from the Bicocca University he told me about the exhibition he had in mind, and I immediately proposed a partnership with Focus,” explained Raffaele Leone, editor of the popular science magazine, leader in the sector. “The sea and its protection, the professor’s special subjects, are familiar topics for us at Focus. Optical illusions are also a form of magic that has always fascinated us and, coincidentally, when I met Galli we had a cover that was hitting newsstands precisely on optical illusions. From that happy alignment of the stars, the exhibition could not but be a joint endeavour. The partnership is part of a wider project of rooting Focus in the territory to make it a publishing phenomenon that, starting from the printed edition, becomes increasingly multifaceted. This initiative with the University Bicocca is a perfect example.”

FOCUS: SPECIAL ISSUE, WEBINARS AND ACADEMY

To coincide with the opening of the exhibition Focus, in collaboration with the Bicocca University, will dedicate a large in-depth special to “Life underwater” in the issue on newsstands from 21 September.

Objective 14 will be a topic on which high school students will also compete in a series of meetings organised in the autumn by Focus Academy, a Focus project which aims to attract children to science and history through online educational activities, in line with the school-work alternation aims defined by the PCTO convention.

In addition, the magazine will organise a special webinar designed especially for students but open to all readers, dedicated to Objective 14 of the 2030 Agenda which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

FOCUS JUNIOR ACADEMY EVENTS

Already this month we will start from the events of the Focus Junior Academy, the Focus Junior didactic workshop for primary and lower secondary school children. The May events, which are already fully booked, are dedicated to enabling students to discover the fantastic world of corals and how to protect them: three days of lessons during which the classes will build, together with journalists, an in-depth feature that will be published in the magazine and on the web from 21 June.

Another event for Focus Junior readers will take place in July with a feature made with fascinating and surprising images of underwater illusions.

“Our young readers are very attracted to the underwater world and the life of marine species,” said Sarah Pozzoli, editor of Focus Junior. In addition, for some years they have been increasingly interested in issues related to the wellbeing of the planet. The exhibition perfectly combines these two aspects: curiosity and environmental protection.”

FOCUS SCUOLA E AND FOCUS PICO INITIATIVES

There will also be a series of special initiatives for teachers: a webinar organised by Focus Scuola, the magazine that provides support to teachers of primary and secondary schools with advice on teaching and materials. An event to explore the issues related to the UN Agenda with proposals for workshops and innovative activities to involve students on the subject of illusions.

There will also be space to discover the wonders of the sea even for younger children: Focus Pico, the monthly magazine designed for children between the ages of 3 and 6, will propose, in the July issue, games, stickers, a science poster on the fish that live in coral reefs and a special illustrated history of the world of the sea, created in collaboration with the children and teachers of the Bicocca University Children’s School.

Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 6.4 million readers and users (Source: Nielsen media impact data fusion, November 2020). It is increasingly appreciated and engaging on social media, where it has a growing audience of over 3.2 million followers (Source: Shareablee, April 2021). The magazine is at the centre of a multimedia ecosystem that includes the web, a TV channel, social media and events: a distinctive reference point for highly topical issues, from science to technology to nature, thanks to the contribution of authoritative voices of international renown. and an approach that is always fresh and rigorous.

Focus Junior is a reference point in the world of kids, with an average monthly circulation of over 88,000 copies (Source: Ads, January 2021), 589,000 unique users per month on the site (Source: Audiweb, January 2021) and a social community of 142,000 fans (source: Shareablee, April 2021).
Mondadori Group

For over 110 years, the mission of the Mondadori Group has been to promote the dissemination of culture and ideas, ensuring a quality offer of entertainment to the widest possible audience. Leader in the book market and the number one Italian multimedia publisher, Mondadori has embarked on a path of social responsibility that also includes the promotion, across all its channels, of quality content that rewards sustainability, plurality of thought, diversity and inclusion, with an approach that is constantly focused on innovation.
Mondadori’s commitment is reflected in a series of activities in support of the communities in which the Group operates: from the promotion of reading and education to training and social and health care.
The Group has also adopted a plan of initiatives aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its offices and bookstores, which has resulted in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and led to an increase in the use of certified paper for the production of books and magazines.

Focus, the Mondadori Group brand, leader in popular science and a point of reference for science and current affairs, is launching new initiatives for students, teachers and users in 2021.

Next month sees the launch of Focus Academy, a new project by Focus and Focus Storia aimed at attracting kids from second level high schools to science and history with online training activities, in line with the alternating school/work programmes outlined in the relevant convention.

At the heart of this year’s programme are the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030, a 360° awareness building plan that will involve the magazine, with special detailed coverage, the web, with the multimedia content of Focus.it, and, from February, a series of monthly webinars open to all with scientists and experts, to stimulate debate and develop awareness among the young about the actions necessary for our future and based around six issues identified by the editorial team: the risks to biodiversity; health; discrepancies in the distribution of energy; more sustainable cities; food for all; the risks to oceans; climate change.

“For Focus adopting the UN goals is only natural, given that they are about saving our planet, scientific and technological development, and the quality of human life,” explained Raffaele Leone, editor of Focus and Focus Storia. “The issues we have selected are part of the magazine’s DNA given our long-standing support for environmental sustainability, medical and technological research and the protection of biodiversity. That all of this coincides with the launch of the Academy is an added value. Kids are extremely aware of these issues. Indeed, they are an authentic driving force for governments and research. They expect that we adults commit to reducing our environmental impact and outline new ways of pursuing these aims. To discuss these issues with them will provide an added stimulus also for us.”

The classes that enrol at the Academy will connect once a week, for four weeks, with the editorial teams of Focus and Focus Storia, to experience, live, the creation of a popular science and history magazine. The students will be actively involved and will have the opportunity to try writing articles or conducting interviews that will then be selected by the team for eventual publication in subsequent issues of Focus.

Also Focus Junior, the brand for children between the ages of 8 and 12 who want to have fun discovering the world in a new and intelligent way, has adopted the UN Agenda by proposing for the Focus Junior Academy digital workshops dedicated to eight of the 2030 goals: health and wellbeing; quality education; clean and accessible energy; industry, innovation and infrastructure; sustainable cities and communities; underwater life; life on earth; and the partnership for goals.

The project, now in its third year, is designed to provide additional tools to assist the syllabus of primary and middle schools, in line also with recent directives which from this year include inter-disciplinary civic education. During the encounters, pupils will work in class on a detailed multimedia journalistic project with the editorial team that will be published on the Focus Junior web site and magazine. The January, February and March appointments of the Focus Junior Academy are already fully booked, with the participation of more than 150 pupils for each workshop.

Finally, for teachers, a series of webinars and monographs have been put together by Focus Scuola, the monthly magazine that supports primary and middle school teachers with the best teaching advice and suggestions to look more closely at the issues related to the UN Agenda 2030 and innovative teaching practices, though ideas, and best practice from experts in the sector.

“In this period of great uncertainty and social upheaval, Focus Junior has decided to reinforce its role in support of children and early teens in an effort to accompany them in their progress towards being future citizens,” said Sarah Pozzoli, editor of Focus Junior and Focus Scuola. “Our objective has become that of trying to ensure that education goes beyond knowledge and skills and is a method for creating a new forma mentis in order to imagine a more sustainable world, that is also more peaceful and free of social, gender and racial discrimination, in line with the guidelines of the UN’s Agenda 2030. And we will do this in our usual style and learning-by-doing approach, while stimulating curiosity and a sense of irony.”

This is how the Focus system is further reinforcing its offer in the education sector: from collaboration with institutions and companies, to school-based projects involving students, families, schools and teachers, and successfully developing activities and events that speak directly to the protagonists of the world of education thanks to an innovative and engaging didactic vision.
Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with a total audience of 7 million readers and users (Source: Nielsen media impact data fusion, April 2020) and 2.9 million followers on social media channels (Source: Shareablee, November 2020).
Focus Junior is a point of reference in the world of kids, with an average monthly circulation of 100,000 copies (Source: Ads, Jan-Sep 2020), 589,000 unique users per month on its web site (Source: Audiweb, Jan-Oct 2020) and a community of 140,000 fans on social media (Source: Shareablee, November 2020).

For information and enrolments:

https://www.focus.it/education/academy/focus-academy-n

https://www.focusjunior.it/progetti-scuola-primaria/focus-junior-academy-scuola-di-giornalismo-con-focus-junior/

What will the world be like in 10 years? “How do we want to live in 2029”? This is the theme of the 2019 edition of Focus Live, the popular science festival of the magazine Focus, which, from 21 to 24 November brings to a conclusion at the Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci in Milan, an extraordinary journey that has taken in the most fascinating and decisive issues for the future of mankind and the planet, and discussed the great challenges the humanity must face and the tools it needs to win.

Over 15,000 visitors (of which over 1,800 students), 117 laboratories for children and adults, 182 speakers on the main stage and in speakers’ corners, 44 interactive and multimedia installations: these are the numbers of Focus Live’s debut in Milan last years, with great public success for the event and the digital content. This year over 11,000 people have already taken part in the first two stages, held, respectively, on 1 – 2 June at the Porto Antico in Genoa, and on 18, 19 and 20 October in Trento at MUSE, Museo delle Scienze.

At the Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci the discussion will focus on the environment, climate, ecosystems, but also on genetics, artificial intelligence, migration, space travel, robots and much more. A great celebration of science, open to everyone, where adults and children can let themselves be amazed by installations and scientific experiments, take part in interactive laboratories and get their hands on the most advanced technologies, as well as meeting some of the biggest experts and scholars in a range of disciplines and personalities well-known to the public. Leading international experts will be the protagonists of unique encounters that will outline the state-of-the art of recent discoveries in a manner tat is accessible for the general public, as well as for fans and enthusiasts. They include the plant neurobiologist Stefano Mancuso, the physicist and popular scientist Guido Emilio Tonelli, the climatologist Luca Mercalli, the diver Umberto Pellizzari, the scientific YouTubers Adrian Fartade and Luca Perri and many more.

In line with the style of Focus, a Mondadori Group brand, science comes to life in unusual and fascinating ways. From “space conquests” with astronaut Umberto Guidoni to some of the most surreal scenarios with laughs and semi-serious reflections with Saverio Raimondo, but also an ability to distinguish the true from the false, between information and propaganda with Selvaggia Lucarelli, the role of the youngest generations with Sofia Viscardi and with the TikToker with more than 2.5 million followers Rosalba Andolfi, the economic outlook that we can expect with Carlo Cottarelli, or the secret life of a rebellious genius like Leonardo Da Vinci together with Massimo Polidoro and the future of music with Saturnino.

And you can even take “a walk” on Mars with 3D visors, and without gravity, or experience the sensation of surviving in high water, watch the robot surgeon “Da Vinci” at work (able, for example, to peel a grape and then sew it back on perfectly), create a perfect avatar of oneself to interact with a virtual world, for example, trying on clothes online, testing your skills on an incredibly realistic driving or flight simulator, experience the sensation – using a special visor – of living with reduced senses in order to understand the difficulties of people with hearing or sight impairments, discover the kitchen of the future, cooking with artificial intelligence and the infinite number of recipes of GialloZafferano, in the company of the starred chef Alessandro Negrini and his interactive showcooking with Alexa and Google Home.

And there are protagonists also for the little ones, with the kids’ area laboratories to try interacting with robots, discover the wonders of water, virtually re-live the moon landing experience and play with the Science show of the scientific apprentice Giuseppe Spitaleri and the crew from the House of Talent.

Everything will be useful in attempting to answer the greatest question of them all: will we be able to deal with the emergencies facing the planet? The most important of which are the climate and the environment, demography and migration, and the fourth industrial revolution: the enormous climatic changes that are transforming the world we have always known forever; the aging populations of parts of the world and the increase in the inhabitants of others, with the associated imbalances and social tensions; the widespread use of artificial intelligence systems, with the potential to disrupt the job market and, if not managed well, risk concentrating wealth even more in the hands of the few, and increasing inequality between populations.

For tickets and a complete programme, please go to: www.focuslive.it

Opening times:

Thursday 21 November 9:30-18.00

Friday 22 November 9:30-19.00

Saturday 23 November 9.30-21.00

Sunday 24 November 9:30-19.00

Focus is Italy’s most widely read magazine, with 5.8 million readers and digital users (Source: NIELSEN MEDIA IMPACT DATA FUSION audipress 2019.1e audiweb 2.0 Feb 19), and 2 million fans on social networks.

Focus Live has been developed with the patronage of: Agenzia spaziale Italiana ASI, Agenziale Spaziale Europea ESA, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche CNR, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia IIT, Enea, Inaf, Virtual Space Systems.

The organisation of Focus Live has been made possible thanks to the support of:

Main Partners: ab medica, Essilor, IBM

Partners: Aiteca, Celgene, Commissione Europea, e-distribuzione, Gilead, Grimaldi Group, Novartis, Oppo, Osservatorio Terapie Avanzate, Pfizer, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pegaso, Roche, Toyota

In collaboration with: Opera San Francesco

Partner Area Focus Junior: Candia

Supporter: Università San Raffaele

Charity Partner: Lega del Filo d’Oro

Media Partner: Focus, Mediaset, Focus Junior, Meteo.it, Smartworld

Radio Ufficiale: Radio Monte Carlo

In collaboration with Istituto Oikos

The Mondadori Group has announced the launch of uARe, a new tool for the creation of augmented reality content, produced together with Focus, the brand that is an international point of reference in popular science and entertainment.

The platform was developed thanks to support from the Innovation Fund of Google’s Digital News Initiative won by Focus and which has certified the leadership of the Mondadori Group brand in the management of interactive content and experiences.

uARe, developed in collaboration with the technological partner Magma, is a solution that comprise of a platform for the development and layout of cloud-based AR content and a customisable mobile application for each client through which it is possible to access interactive and immersive experiences.

It is now much easier to create and put on the page 360° videos and photos, 3D animations 3D and audio content. uARe is characterised by an easy-to-use interface, the speed of the productive workflow, dashboard analytic marketing with data on the use of the experiences, geo-tracking of AR experiences and shared functions on the main social networks.

The platform, with which the Mondadori Group will innovate the augmented reality market, is ideal for use in a range of sectors, from publishing to education, as well as retail, communication and events.

Focus, the Mondadori Group magazine that is a point of reference in popular science and entertainment, from Thursday 21 February will be available to the public in markedly renewed form and content.

The aim of the monthly, edited by Raffaele Leone, will be to further develop the successful formula that has made it Italy’s most widely read magazine, which boasts a combination of 5.7 million readers and users (based on data from Audipress 2018.2 and Audiweb 2.0 September 2018), as well as 1.7 million fans on social networks.

Starting from the cover, Focus readers will be surprised by the many changes in the layout and content. First of all they will notice the new masthead which, for the first time, features a larger red logo: a decision that will guarantee the brand greater relevance.

Thanks to an elegant look and an identity as leader, the magazine will be even more stimulating, and targeted at readers that are aware, educated, curious and “want to know more”.

The new Focus has a mission to surprise page after page, investigating the science and knowledge that surrounds us, and represented in a captivating, accurate, rigorous, original and unusual way.

The opening pages of the magazine will be devoted to the column Prisma: di tutto un po’ (Prisma: a little of everything), an authentic showcase of high level content, from regular features to new sections, such as “Il caro estinto” (Dearly departed), “Cogli l’etimo” (Catch the meaning) and many others.

The articles will not only deal with science, nature and technology, but will also take a closer look at current affairs, but always with the scientific and analytical approach to the facts that is typical of Focus. Space will also be given to art, with a column edited by Vittorio Sgarbi that, starting from single work, will develop an analysis of an entire artistic period. Background detail will be provided by Focus Dossier, three articles aimed at examining, in an unusual and detailed way, the issue featured on the cover.

Focus finally also re-confirms its primacy in the development of interactive content and experiences thanks to the ongoing reinforcement of Augmented Reality: each month the magazine will have a fixed appointment with readers in page not to be read but to be “listened to”. An innovative function that will further diversify that range of extras usable through the dedicated app, available for free from the AppStore and Google Play: navigable 360° photos, 3D graphics and renderings, timelapse and 4K videos, and much more.

The new magazine will form the nucleus of an articulated multimedia ecosystem across different in able to transform readers and users into authentic “inhabitants” of the Focus world: from the web site to the TV channel, and from social networks to events aimed at consolidating the brand’s presence around the country.

Among the most important of these Focus Live, an engagement with the great issues and personalities of knowledge which, during the first edition, which took place between 8 and 11 November 2018, attracted over 15,000 visitors to the Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia in Milan, and that in 2019 will take its exclusive formula to two other cities in Italy, Genoa and Turin.

To mark the launch of the new Focus a special print-run (+20%) of magazine has been planned, along with a communication campaign run by Hunbranded that, through the use of visuals and captivating and amusing  headlines, highlights the brand’s contribution to “getting the world into focus”  in all its vastness and complexity.

The campaign has been planned on print media and the web, radio and TV, trade channels, sales outlets and on social networks, and will support both the March and April issues.

Starting from the 21 February issue, Raffaele Leone will be the new editor of Focus, the Mondadori Group brand that is a point of reference in popular science and entertainment.

Leone will further enhance a successful formula that has made Focus Italy’s most widely-read magazine, thanks to an even broader range of content and a new look at current affairs, with a continuing scientific approach and a rigorous analysis of the facts.

Born in Catania, Leone, who is 58, began his career on the newspaper La Sicilia, before joining the editorial team of the Indipendente. In 1994 he moved to Il Giornale where he covered a number of roles, including news editor, bureau chief at the Rome office and then central managing editor. In 2006 he was appointed deputy editor of the magazine Grazia, before moving one year later to Panorama, firstly as deputy editor in 2007, executive deputy editor in 2009 and editor-in-chief in 2018.

At the same time Jacopo Loredan – that the Mondadori Group wishes to thank for the professionalism, passion and energy  with which he has led the magazine – will take on the role of event and brand development manager.

Following the success of the first edition of Focus Live, which took place last November in collaboration with the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology, this year Focus will take its exclusive formula to other cities in Italy, with the aim of further developing the brand’s presence around the country.

A magazine aimed at all teachers of primary and first level secondary schools, to help them face the new challenges of the classroom in the digital age: this is Focus Scuola, a new monthly for teachers from the Mondadori Group.

Focus Scuola, edited by Sarah Pozzoli, has been conceived as a tool at the service of teachers, to support them in their day-to-day work with pedagogical and didactic advice for “feel better” in in the classroom and to manage classes, develop authoritativeness, control stress, attract and retain pupils’ attention and motivate them to study.

“This new magazine – underlined the editor Sarah Pozzoli – comes fro the experience of Focus Junior which for years with its projects for schools, class visits to the editorial departments and events around the country, is in continuous dialogue with teachers, children and parents. all of these activities have enabled us to gather information and to intercept the great need for support for teachers who increasingly need to know about and try out tools that can help them every day as they propose new, engaging and innovative teaching activities. This is why, in 2017, we launched the Osservatorio Trend Junior which has helped us to look more closely at the younger generations, their parents and teachers, and to understand how to virtuously triangulate these three targets in handling issues such as education and training.

Focus Scuola, which is available every month on subscription, offers background details on the latest scientific and pedagogic research, but also good experimental ideas from Italy and the rest of the world from individual teachers and provides suggestions about innovative methods and the use of technology in the classroom.

Extensive space is also given to the latest scientific news of relevance to schools and norms and regulations from the Ministry of Education, as well as reviews of films, books, exhibitions study tours and new trends in the world of children and teenagers, plus a wealth of ideas for lessons and labs that can be done in class.

An added feature is the inclusion of columns by authoritative exponents from the world of schools such as Marco Rossi Doria, Daniela Lucangeli, Alberto Pellai, Giovanni Biondi, Alex Corlazzoli and teaching kits as supplements to the magazine, produced on the logic of S.T.E.A.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics).

Focus Scuola is available only on subscription at a cost of €69 (annual subscription, 10 issues) or €99 (a two-year subscription, 20 issues). During the whole of December it will also be possible to subscribe for a year to  both Focus Scuola and Focus Junior at the special price of €79.

In the first issue, available from this week, among a wide range of issues there is a cover dossier on strategies for communicating with parents and an interview with the philosopher Umberto Galimberti.