From Italy, With Love –?How Bialetti Changed the Cultural Fabric of Coffee

Coffee lovers will easily recognize the Moka Express. As a coffee lover and brand nerd myself, curiosity drove me to learn about one of my favorite brands and brand characters.

Here’s a quick brand story about Bialetti. Along with some marketing and brand takeaways.?

Espresso Without the “X”

Coffeehouses were the popular public drinking spots in Italy since the 1600s (the inspiration for Starbucks). Local coffeehouses controlled the market because they made the best coffee. They controlled the market. Buying, selling, roasting, brewing, and consuming all went through the coffeehouse.?

You could make coffee at home. But it was weak, watered-down drip-ish coffee. No thanks. This brown-water imposter lacked the caffeine punch from café espresso that added lightning to public debates and kickstarted spirited conversations.?

The coffeehouses were so popular, it was known to disrupt home life as much as a pub. "The Women’s Petition Against Coffee" is a fun read if you have time. Although, there's speculation it was actually written by men.

Italian Focus on Aluminum Opens Doors

In the early 1930s, the Italian government turned its attention to producing aluminum in its quest for economic independence. The lightweight material was strong, noncorrosive, easy to work with and stretch, cut cleanly, and was suddenly readily available.

Alfonso Bialetti, an Italian engineer and skilled metal worker, opened Alfonso Bialetti & Co. as a workshop for manufacturing aluminum semi-finished products. In the 1920s, he noticed a local washtub contraption that drew boiling water through a vertical, central pipe and back over the laundry.

Intro to Moka

In 1933, after engineering his version of the technique, Alfonso crafted the world’s first aluminum stovetop espresso coffee maker. It was simple, modern, elegant, and provided the same power-packed caffeine punch as local coffeehouses.

Finally, coffee-loving Italians could enjoy their cup of love, at home.

While Alfonso was a great craftsman, he could have been a better businessman. He focused on creating other products and only sold around 70,000 Moka units before WWII changed Europe.?

Renato the Marketer?

Alfonso’s son, Renato Bialetti, returned from the war and took over his father’s business in 1946. Although he was familiar with working metal, his travels throughout Europe made him aware of marketing and advertising. Renato focused on the stage between manufacturing and moving Moka’s into homes.

The Bialetti company stopped producing all other aluminum products to focus solely on the Moka Express. They extended the line by creating multiple sizes, from 2 cups to 10. And then Renato did something special that completely transformed the company:

He took out a sizeable loan to create an integrated marketing campaign that put Bialetti on the map.?

"With the Moka Express coffee pot, espresso will be better than the bar!" - Bialetti commercial script, 1950's

Renato didn’t just reflect on previous sales to create a budget based on sales. He understood how many Italians wanted rich espresso at home. And even more important, he understood how many of them couldn’t get what they wanted.?He knew the market size.

We call it zero-based budgeting now. But back then, Renato simply found out how much money he needed to get in front of the target customer without being ignored.

He got the budget. And he went big.?

Fiera di Milano

Bialetti & Co. launched a blitzing marketing campaign that leaned heavily on OOH billboards, posters, and public installations in Italian metro areas. And none were as crucial as Milan.?

Renato’s team purchased every single available billboard in Milan.

Milan was home to the Fiera di Milano, a leading Italian tradeshow that hosted brand launches since 1920. Renato’s team purchased every single available billboard in Milan during the show. Not only could you not walk the city without seeing Bialetti ads, but their imaginative tradeshow booth became the talk of the town.?

The outome?

The media, vendors, and customers could not ignore Bialetti. They saturated the entire city with the brand. For decades after, the tradeshow became an essential part of vendor relationships for Bialetti. As a result, the Moka Express was easily found at many retailers.?

Bialetti was easy to mind and easy to find. By the mid 1950s they were producing 4 million Moka pots per year.

Defending the Brand

It didn’t take long for copycat espresso makers to flood the market. Many were made from lesser-expensive materials (which can be dangerous). The iconic, octagonal product was being ripped off and sold cheaper.

Renato realized he needed to create distinctive brand assets that clearly signaled the real Moka. In 1953, he recalled a family friend’s doodle of his father and commissioned Paul Campani to create “L'omino con i baffi” –?The Little Man with the Moustache – who still adorns today’s Moka Express.?

By 1958, he was heavily used in ads, billboards, and commercial breaks during the popular show Carosello. But The Little Man with the Moustache means more than additional brand art beyond the logo.?

He raises one hand with a single finger as if ordering an espresso at a crowded coffeehouse. But instead of the family patriarch stealing away to a public coffeehouse, The Little Man with the Moustache is comfortably at home with family.?

And the customer’s home becomes the café.

The Takeaway

Today’s Moka Express is essentially the original design from 1933, with more than 300 million units sold globally. The Little Man with the Moustache can be found in over 90% of Italian households.?

A few marketing lessons:

• Bialetti took advantage of low-cost, available materials
• Recognized market demand and opportunity?
• Observed techniques outside the industry?
• Engineered a unique solution
• Focused on making one great product
• Formed strong relationships with vendors for retail physical availability
• Invested to become easy to mind and easy to find
• Created a strong brand identity to fend off competitors
• Success bred copycats
• Brand strength controlled price
• Zero-based budgeting understood sales opportunities
• Flooded media channels for mental availability?
• Produced signals to become part of the culture?
• And have remained consistent with their brand identity for nearly 80 years

What a wonderful brand story about one of my favorite subjects –?coffee. Coffeehouses still exist, obviously. And companies like Starbucks have done well by studying the culture of coffee. But we can't ignore the change that Bialetti brought to coffee lovers.

Speaking of which, I'm off for another cup myself. Ci prendiamo un caffè!