The Superga brand has existed since 1911 and has been rejuvenated by the Pirella Göttsche Lowe television campaign that started two years ago.

Pino Rozzi, Deputy Creative Director of Pirella Göttsche Lowe, describes the thinking behind the campaign as follows:

"Superga does not need to compete with Reebok or Nike: because Superga is different, Superga has history. Superga was a shoe that was more often in the wardrobe than out, then in 1995 Superga started with a bang, a strong and ground-breaking campaign: "Superga: either you love them or you hate them". A claim that invites a definite choice. If you don't like our shoes don't wear them. You love our shoes? Here we are."

As in previous Superga commercials, "The Challenge" is shot in black and white and presents a conflict between different generations, between good and evil, between those who wear Superga shoes and those who would never dream of doing so.

The story starts outside a factory where an animal rights demonstration is in full swing. The protesters have disguised themselves with animal masks and are seeking to prevent the factory owner from leaving the premises in his limousine while the police employ brute force to keep them under control. The violence is quite graphic; cars are overturned, tear gas cannisters fly through the air, a policeman's horse collapses in the mêlée and a young man's clothes catch fire... The factory owner seems indifferent to the protest and calmly reads his newspaper while the police hold back the crowd. One protester succeeds in breaking through only to lose a Superga shoe on the bonnet of the boss's passing car. Cut to the boss having dinner at home with his family. The atmosphere is formal and tense. He bends down to retrieve an object from the floor and discovers, to his horror, that his daughter is missing one of her Superga shoes.

BRW & Partners shot the commercial in a disused factory near Milan over five days. 500 extras were used, each one individually selected by Tarsem, the director. Editing and post-production were done in Los Angeles. The final result is a piece of film that grips the audience from the opening frame without a moment of respite, aided by the Prodigy song, Firestarter, that became a hit in Italy as a result of the Superga commercial.

Superga came very close to winning the last Epica d'Or in 1996. The new commercial triumphed this year from a final selection of Epica d'Or nominations that included the Dutch Shell commercial, Blackcurrant Tango from the UK, and the Swedish campaign for the Gothenburg Post.

The Superga commercials are as controversial as the brand's endline, "love them or hate them", the Epica jury's choice is clear!