If you are in London and see vans displaying images of Genoa’s jerseys, the blame lies with Riccardo Cuor di Leone. And with the story of an outstanding debt that has been open for over two hundred years. It has been picked up by Ceres and the rossoblu club, which have celebrated one of the most famous symbols in the world – the cross of Saint George – recounting an anecdote that dates back to the Middle Ages, which has dragged on into the subsequent centuries, and has reached the present day. And which, in some way, explains why the English flag and that of Genoa are identical. It is said that in the Middle Ages, England “rented it” to protect its fleet, as no one dared to attack ships flying the Genoese flag, recognizing a tribute to the Maritime Republic until 1771. Since then, the payment has been interrupted, and the Genoese still remember the arrears today.
It is precisely from this debt that grows every day that the concept “The Longest Tab In History” was born, created by Ceres in collaboration with We Are Social and We Are Social Studios: the term “Tab” refers to the open tab in English pubs, and it is from here that Ceres humorously reignites – of course, with irony – a matter that has remained open for hundreds of years – 255, to be exact. And it does so in London: the message coming from Liguria travels from Trafalgar Square to Westminster, “transported” by vans depicting the Genoa away jersey, where the Cross of Saint George is portrayed. Next to the photos is a caption: “Genoa calling. London paying”. There is no need to translate it. And the beauty is that the messages and the campaign landed in England right during the national celebration for the cross of Saint George.
Another headline for the billboards is “Genoa’s flag rent is 255 years overdue. At least buy us a round.”, and again, there is no need for translation. Additionally, Ceres dressed some fans of a Genoa Club in the English capital in special jerseys with the campaign copy, turning them into true mobile media. Mattia Lacchini, Executive Creative Director of We Are Social, said that “with our campaigns and activations, we always try to shape ideas that stem from the culture we are immersed in and that have the potential to step outside the original context to generate broader conversations. We worked alongside Ceres in developing the project, starting from a story that belongs to two cities and that over time has taken different directions. We brought it back to light and transformed it together into an idea capable of activating on multiple levels, from the field to the city to a wider audience.”
The activation began with a video by creator Pietro Filacorda that retraces the historical link between the Cross of Saint George, Genoa, England, and the Griffin and continued on the field during the Pisa-Genoa match on April 19, a historic challenge between former Maritime Republics. For the match, Genoa took the field with the second jersey. The kit, however, was adorned with a special message on the sleeve, where the Ceres logo is usually placed: “Nice flag England, is that ours?”. Each asset of the campaign is equipped with a QR code that directs the English to a detailed landing page, where they can discover the legend and understand how to “settle the debt”.
It is an initiative that celebrates the ancient bond that unites Genoa and England, in the name of the sea, culture, and of course, football: Genoa is the oldest club in our country and was founded by the English. This appendix, however, does not close a debt that has been open for centuries, which remains open. And for which the Genoese expect at least a free round of beer. Perhaps now the English will have learned a lesson: the Genoese have a memory of steel. And they are excellent accountants.