The Sanremo Festival In 2024, alongside the music, there was an unexpected element that sparked debate and speculation: a pair of white shoes worn by John Travolta. Attention shifted from his performance, which included a questionable performance of the Qua-Qua dance, to the details of his shoes with a clearly visible logo, an unusual practice for Rai programs designed to avoid covert advertising by masking brands .
The presence of the logo on Travolta's shoes raised a number of questions, with opinions divided as to whether it was a simple error or whether there was promotional intent behind it. The director's careful depiction of the actor's feet increased suspicions of a possible attempt at covert promotion.
Rai has officially stated that it considers the brand's visibility to be a mistake. The broadcast “Remove the messages” questioned this explanation and brought to light information from Liborio La Mattina, the director of La Voce, that an agent of the shoe manufacturer had sent a promotional message to retailers before the festival mentioning Travolta's presence in Sanremo with the shoes in question .
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This has fueled suspicions that theAppearance of white shoes on stage could be part of it Marketing strategy aimed to exploit the event's wide visibility, questioning Rai's official statement and suggesting possible deliberate promotion. “Great evening planned tonight! – we read the message – John Travolta will be on stage with him in Sanremo Tuxedo and the brand new ones Urban! He won't be a simple extra, but will be invited to dance Amadeus And Fiorello. The skit is scheduled for approximately 11 p.m.!” Similar information, but without direct mention of the shoes, was also included in an email and was also listed on U-Power's website.
Striscia la NOTEIA introduces the service, which will be broadcast tonight, as follows: “This message was sent on the morning of February 7th by an agent of the safety shoe company U-Power – which was worn by John Travolta at the Sanremo festival later that evening – sent to retailers to communicate the launch campaign of the new model. This is what the director of La Voce Liborio La Mattina told the correspondent Pinuccio, who returns to investigate the alleged case of hidden advertising in Rai. Case dismissed by state television trivial error: They forgot to put the patch on the logo of the shoes to disguise the brand. But then how could the company explain that the new model would be seen on television if the brand had to be covered? But above all: How could they have received such precise information, including the line-up for the evening, several hours in advance, when this is usually only announced shortly before the start of the festival evening? Rai has stated that it is ready to implement all necessary measures, and also suspects that it was a “fraud”.
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