Campari's New Kate Hudson Campaign is BitterSweet

Curled columns of golden locks frame the sides of a lightly bronzed, oval–shaped face; a gap between two ever–so–delicately pursed lips draw the viewer in, while violently–shaded blue and violet Ray–Bans, lined with golden wire, cover almond eyes. This is the birth of a star. This is the inception of a legend. This is Kate Hudson, and she’s about to set the world on fire in her debut as Penny Lane, the flaxen–haired hippie groupie in the Oscar–nominated, Golden Globe–winning film, Almost Famous by Cameron Crowe. No longer is Hudson considered simply the child of Hollywood royalty, Goldie Jean Hawn and Bill Hudson, but rather a force to be reckoned with—a star reborn in her own right. 

And, with the attendant fame of a Hollywood starlet, there of course come privileges, but more significantly, the responsibility that is creative control. Now, one may ponder the importance of creative control, or perhaps even its relevancy to the subject–in–question. After all, are not money, notoriety and rivieras the sacred gifts of the rich and famous? Yes and no. The three aforementioned privileges are indeed oft–granted, but they are inherently without substance. Society does weave notable faces into its perpetually churning fabric and companies do select those celebrities ever–so–carefully to play for their team of branded dodge–ball; but what value is any of that privilege if you remain complacent, as a puppet held up by the strings of money, fame and power?

This is where Kate differs. Kate is not a dilettante–ed doll; she, in a world of complacent starlets, is alone in her control of her art and creative expression. On November 18^th, Hudson wielded her powers of creative control by unveiling her partnership with Campari, Italy’s reigning iconic bittersweet red aperitif. Hudson is the muse in this year’s 17^th edition of Campari’s calendar collection titled "The BitterSweet Campaign," in which the blonde beauty takes the stage as two opposing political candidates—Bitter and Sweet—in a play on Campari’s unique and versatile bittersweet flavor profile. The liqueur campaign intentionally debuts on the heels of the upcoming presidential elections and encourages imbibers to use creative control—via unique Instagram photographs or curated Tweets—in order to take a stand, to express an opinion, and to cast their vote for their favorite flavor profile: #goBitter or #goSweet. 

Aware that Campari has always been a symbol of intrigue and pleasure—two results of the creative process—Kate Hudson made an active choice to endorse the brand and therefore further cultivate her ability to creatively process: 

For me, this project meant much more than producing a calendar; it was a creative process telling a great story. It was a fabulous campaign that challenged me to bring out two different sides of myself to ensure that the pictures told the story in a creative and beautiful way—and that is exactly what we’ve achieved. Personally I lean towards the sweeter side of things, however my taste buds definitely love bitter! Though a play on flavor, this year’s theme asks people to take a stand for what they believe in, which to me is a very powerful message. The 2016 Calendar is a testament to how Campari stays true to itself as a brand and proves there will always be a place for the classic nature of Campari within today’s contemporary world.

By challenging her limits as an artist, Kate Hudson yielded a successful "The BitterSweet Campaign" project; her artistic control is rife in her emotionally–charged facial expressions and body language. Much credit is due to Kate, as artistically challenging oneself is a dangerous process. Results will indeed be drawn, but there is no guarantee of success. You do, however, learn something about yourself—your raw self—and this effect is evident in the success of Kate’s convincing duplicity in the Campari campaign. 

The campaign’s images were captured and curated by the acclaimed international fashion photographer Michelangelo di Battista, who brought the campaign to life through dramatic sets and a series of outfits that complimented the overarching creative theme. Creations by high end designers, like Vivienne Westwood, Versace, Halston, Brian Atwood and Christian Louboutin, provided an additional medium for which Kate could express her two roles. On his involvement in the 2016 Campari Calendar, Michelangelo Di Battista adds:

What I loved most about working on the Campari Calendar was the flexibility this year’s theme let me have. As a photographer, this project has given me the opportunity to use my unique sense of aesthetic and well–defined style to reflect the Campari brand seamlessly. It was crucial that each image could stand alone yet also work as a part of a collection. Kate and I share a strong desire to deliver perfection. It was the perfect partnership and I think we achieved what we set out to do. 

For the first time in the Campari Calendar’s history, consumers are at the center of the campaign. Campari’s fans are called upon to share their opinion and to take a stand by following the campaign through the brand’s social channels and via the hashtags #goBitter and #goSweet. Campari has also created a website where consumers can engage with content to get live updates on each party’s progress, take the BitterSweet test to see which party you truly belong to and, most importantly, vote and take a stand. 

In essence, the Campari Calendar is an expression of creative control, not only by Kate Hudson, but also by each artist involved in the Calendar’s production—from the manicurist to the stylist to the photographer and everyone in between. The team managed to show that, as Campari CEO Bob Kunze–Concewitz Gruppo articulates, there are two sides to every story, to every person and even to every product. 

The coveted calendar, of which only 9,999 copies are printed, will not go on sale but will rather be shared among friends of Campari around the world.