Italian apple brand Marlene continues its marketing focus on the four seasons this month with the launch of a new winter promotion.
While the orchards of South Tyrol themselves take a well-earned rest beneath a light blanket of snow, work is underway to sell their recently harvested new-season fruit.
For three weeks, Marlene apples will carry special stickers designed by Italian artist Luca Santella.
Entitled Rosso d’inverno (Winter Red), the illustration shows how, in the depths of winter, nature rests before it reawakens with renewed energy and colour.
“The story of the Marlene universe throughout the four seasons, in all their diversity and uniqueness, shows what makes our apples so special,” comments Hannes Tauber, marketing manager at brand owner Vog.
“In our apple orchards there are ideal climatic conditions to enhance the taste of all the different varieties of Marlene apples. Winter is a key season as our farmer members carry out delicate pruning tasks and prepare the plants for their spring-time rebirth.”
In addition to Santella’s artwork, other winter-themed creations have been designed by Marlene artists, including Alessandra Sartoris, Serena Vajngerl and Laura Vivar.
Some of these were featured in an outdoor exhibition, decorating the sides of trams in Milan from December until early January.
“After the autumn, we repeated the successful initiative on Milan’s trams,” commented Tauber. “Each work offered a very creative interpretation of this season’s unique characteristics and captured its importance for Marlene apples.”
He added: “The initiative was very well-received, partly because it brought the multicoloured world of Marlene to Milan, making the city more colourful during the cold, grey winter months.”
