• by Danielle Oster , April 8, 2025

To promote its recently launched Ciao line of flavored sparkling beverages, Sanpellegrino turned to two actors arguably best known for their appearances in HBO’s iconic series ‘The Sopranos.’

The Nestlé-owned brand reunited actors Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa, who played the roles of Christopher Moltisanti and Bobby Baccalieri, respectively, on the series.

The two actors star in an extended ad running around five minutes long as part of the “With Love, Italy” Ciao launch campaign. Entitled “The Nice Guys,” the spot opens with the two actors finding a truck filled with Ciao -- accompanied by a cryptic message ending “with love, Italy,” which they struggle to translate from Italian. Finally, they figure out they’re supposed to give away cans of the beverage. But when they try to gift Ciao to an assortment of strangers, they find their tough-guy reputations get in the way.

“As we considered how to pay homage to our Italian roots with the launch of Ciao, we recognized the importance of finding the right personalities to serve as the conduits for bringing this gift from Italy stateside. As we thought about locations, characters and storytelling opportunities to convey that message, Michael Imperioli and Steve Schirripa were a natural fit,” said Sanpellegrino Senior Marketing Director Thomas Conquet  n a statement.

“Michael and Steve take a lot of pride in their Italian American roots – and that comes to life for them both on a personal level, but also in some of their past acting roles. Plus, we love that they are true brand fans themselves. By playing with their personalities and the nostalgia they evoke, we’ve crafted a campaign that introduces Ciao in a fresh and engaging way.”

 The brand worked with creative agency Ogilvy New York on the campaign, which was produced in partnership with Hogarth New York, Spark & Riot, Cabin, and Company3. The integrated launch campaign spans organic and paid digital and social content.

The spot ends with a call to action from the actors “to help them share the new delicious drink with all (via a coupon),” Conquet said explaining that the brand amplified the call-to-action by “directly inviting key influencers to try the product and share their reactions, furthering the dialogue online around Ciao.

The campaign follows the Ciao brand line launching in February. “Now that it’s available at retailers nationwide and on Amazon, our goal is to continue product awareness, trial and encouraging sparkling water drinkers to share Ciao with their loved ones,” he added, “and keep some for themselves too.”