While the “delta variant” of the pandemic continues to spread, and the controversy over the “green pass” and the mandatory nature of vaccines do not subside. In all this, despite the order of the Minister of Health, Speranza, of last June 28, masks remain mandatory both in all public places indoors, such as shops but also on board public transport vehicles, and in situations where gatherings are created, in markets, at fairs or during queues, and of course in places where a specific anti Covid protocol is in force.
Of course, masks are also a business for many companies. For example, Grafica Veneta, at the center of bitter controversy episodes of illegal hiring at the center of judicial investigations, claims to have produced the non-negligible figure of 300 million masks, and in the recently filed 2020 budget report, among other things we read that “Sales in Italy went from 45.3 million euros to 116.6 million euros, mainly thanks to revenues from the production of filter masks”. In short, an important turnover that naturally attracted many players, also from other sectors, to the market.
So then we tried to understand how much and how the companies that produce and / or market masks push on the market. To do this, we analyzed advertising investments in Facebook ads. Certainly not the only way companies promote their products, but equally certainly an important indicator of advertising pressure in the industry.
Overall, around half a million euros were invested in Facebook ads. The lion’s share is essentially up to three companies which alone have invested around 430 thousand euros in advertisements on Facebook. 86% of the total. Of these, about 221 thousand were invested by Mascherine.it. Site that sells protective equipment, including wholesale, and that in addition to investments on Facebook also has an active affiliate program and is proposed as a hub, as a portal for the sale of masks to other parties. The site also has an international variant that can always be traced back to Ipkiss Srl, a company with registered office in Milan which has the “Retail sale of any type of product carried out via the Internet” as the object of its business. The advertising campaigns on Facebook, with 240 different subjects, ended in May of this year, and there are currently no active ads. Listings that were scheduled on an ongoing basis from December 2020 to May 2021.
In second place we find Adas Group with more than 117 thousand euros invested on Facebook. Investments allocated to 210 subjects, on 210 different advertisements from March 2021 to date. In fact, two advertisements are currently active. One, with three different profiles, aimed at children and another, generic, with masks for adults in different colors.
Third in terms of investment, at just under 100 thousand euros, we find Dacosta Group, another company, like the previous two, which does not produce but sells masks.
A total of 610 different subjects from March of this year to August 20, the date on which the last campaign was closed for now.
Beyond the level of investment of each company, the large number of subjects, in a short period of time (maximum six months in the case of Mascherine.it), makes it clear how the strategy is that of “micro targeting”. To hit relatively small segments with “personalized” ads dedicated to them. As the film by Eduardo De Filippo said, it is appropriate to say “I know you mask”.
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