Menabrea turns obscurity into creative advantage in new campaign

Ark, an independent agency, created a cinematic campaign for Menabrea, a premium Italian lager owned by C&C Group. The campaign, titled 'La Contrabbandiera,' plays on the brand's relative obscurity, using a black-and-white 16mm film to tell a fictional story of a smuggler. The creative process was unconventional, with the client signing off on a director without a script. The film runs in Everyman cinemas across the UK and on paid social. The campaign's strapline is 'The best isn't always best known.' The project involved a behind-the-scenes decision to discard a safer, more conventional script at the last minute to pursue a more innovative approach.