Alberto Contri for 20 years he was in charge of Advertisement Progress (1999-2019). Many important social communication campaigns bear the signature of this Foundation, an important reference in the Italian cultural panorama. Last year Contri gave up the baton. Today, however, he is already ready for a new challenge. A brilliant man like him, professor of Social Communication at IULM, with a past as a counselor Rai and CEO of RaiNet, he wanted to get back into the game. When he was offered the presidency of the newborn S. Bernardino Center for Social Responsibility he accepted with great enthusiasm. Contri told a preview of italiani.it its new mission. On Tuesday 1 December there was the presentation of the XVIII edition of the San Bernardino Prize and on the occasion launched the new project.
How was this collaboration born?
against. The Prize has an ancient history. It was born from the desire to involve schools, from primary to professional graphics schools, in the creation of social campaigns. The most beautiful and interesting are awarded. At that time I was in Advance Advertising. I was passionate about setting up a network, which we called Athtena, which included over 100 universities, 85 faculties and included experts in sociology, statistics, philosophy, communication, psychology, journalism ... Together we thought about how to improve social communication, involving students . In Advertising Progress we had built (it took 15 years of work) a gigantic archive with the best performing social campaigns in the world. The most interesting from the point of view of language or technique.
The history of social communication ...
against. Twenty years is a long time. I have a lot of experience. For this reason, once I finished my career in Advertising Progress, the friends of the S. Bernardino Prize sought me out to propose me to work on something new. The goal is to transform the Award into a different experience, that of a Social Responsibility Center into which all the experience I have gained over these long years will converge. The Prize will no longer be limited to Lazio but will become national. We all start from a common belief that overall social and cultural degradation can be countered through education and teaching. We must start with the little ones.
Minister Moratti had also instituted a Social Communication Award for students
against. Exactly. It was a competition that involved the first grades up to vocational schools. The boys tried their hand at creating social campaigns. It was discovered, as a sociological observation, that the children proposed in a girlish way storyboard with sensational ideas from a conceptual point of view. We noticed, however, that the 15-16 year olds made proposals with perfect execution (video, Photoshop) but with few creative ideas and often a lot of imitation.
Why do you think?
against. As they grew up, these kids weren't allowed to cultivate creativity, rather they were clipped. From this experience we can draw that sui children, you can work on many fronts and re-educate them to observe any type of audiovisual with a critical eye. Of course, teaching him how to do it. With the S. Berardino Social Responsibility Center we plan to resume that type of work with a formative and cultural approach.
Who will assist you in this project?
against. I set up a scientific committee of 20 teachers of all the subjects close to this world: entertainment, sociology, cultural processes but also theology. We want to work together on the concept of "Responsibility" in social communication to get right principles to come. On the front of technology, for example, or of artificial intelligence we are risking very serious errors. That's why I wanted people of the highest level like the Stephanie Bandini, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Milan Bicocca but above all a philosopher and RCAST at the University of Tokyo.
What is the goal?
Contri. It is necessary to confront the ethical limits in research and technological development. Not necessarily everything can be done. The Prize is not a glamorous event, it has training activities at all levels from universities to primary schools behind it.
Where do we start?
Contri. We have to start running. Legs on your shoulder and off you go. With various professors of the Committee we are also available to build tailor made seminars for companies that intend to face sustainability and social responsibility with an innovative and truly ethical spirit. You cannot do social communication and then maybe get supplies in countries where workers are treated like slaves or where there are children who work in the mines. As a study by an Australian association recently revealed. We need maximum consistency in this too.
Can you think of a case history?
Contri. I was born in Ivrea. I left when I was ten. If I have to think of a great example of social responsibility, for the extreme attention towards its employees and consumers with the quality of the products, it comes to mind Adriano Oliveti that transformed little Ivrea into a paradise on earth.
