Da Carosello al Mulino Bianco

Many certainly remember Signor Bistefani, the protagonist of the famous advertisement for the confectionery company of the same name, asking his employees: “Who am I? Father Christmas?” (Chi sono io, Babbo Natale?). The claim of the company then followed, which, to enhance the qualities of the product, compared it to pastries rather than biscuits. Behind the script of this ad was Silvano Guidone, one of the most brilliant advertisers of the second half of the twentieth century and the inventor of many successful advertising slogans that still inhabit the memory of many. That line, so famous, became the title of a wonderful book of memories, published by publisher Fausto Lupetti in 2025, in which Guidone retraces his long experience, from working with Armando Testa in 1955 to the birth of his own agency. In between lie some of the advertisements that have rooted the most into collective imagery, from those for Lavazza, starring Nino Manfredi (“Coffee is a pleasure. If it isn’t good, what pleasure can it be? - Il caffè è un piacere, se non è buono che piacere è?”) to the invention of the Mulino Bianco family, under the direction of Gabriele Salvatores and with music by Ennio Morricone. Almost seventy years pass between such extreme polarities, years of Italian history and social transformation, of which advertising has always been a true barometer. At the same time, Guidone’s narrative takes us along various creative mechanisms: between text and image, he tells how an advertising campaign is born, how ideas take shape, facing the commissioner’s requests and tv regulations. From these originated one of the most successful experiences of Italian television, of which the author is an invaluable witness: Carosello.

Silvano Guidone was born in Turin on 5 May 1939. In 1955 he started working at “Studio Testa”, becoming over the years General Creative Director, then vice President and partner. In 1994 he established Silvano Guidone & Associati. Professor at the Politecnico of Turin for the course in graphic design, he has been awarded many national prizes for communication, including Leone di Bronzo at the International Festival of Cannes for the advertising campaign designed for Bistefani and the Leone d’Argento for the advertising campaign for Detersivo Sole Bianco. Among the advertising campaigns he designed can be mentioned: Lavazza starring Manfredi, Bistefani (“Chi sono io Babbo Natale?”), Lines, Mulino Bianco, Cirio starring Depardieu, Yoga, and Derby.