“Super Mario”: economy and lifestyle – Last week, the foreign press turned its attention back to “Super Mario”, the video game hero used to describe Mario Draghi, president of the ECB, Prime Minister Mario Monti and – during the European championship – forward Mario Balotelli. While Time Magazine ran a cover story on Balotelli, with an interview that covered everything from soccer, racism and European identity (November 1- The Meaning of Mario), other international papers celebrated Draghi’s first 12 months as President of the ECB. There, the title “Super Mario” referred to the efforts by the former Governor of the Bank of Italy to defend the euro (between October 31 and November 5, articles in Handelsblatt – Der umstrittene Signore Draghi; The China Post – 12 months pass and Draghi remains ECB’S ‘Super Mario’; Gulf News – Draghi draws up plans for euro; and Expansion – Draghi levanta un muro de contención en su primer año al frente del BCE).
Exports and success for Made in Italy – As usual, the foreign press ran a number of articles on the international successes of Made in Italy. The automotive industry was represented by Ferrari, with a new record in sales (La Tribune, November 8 – La marque italienne de super-sportives Ferrari bat son record de ventes), and Brembo, whose group president Alberto Bombassei was awarded the Tiepolo Prize in Madrid and was interviewed by El Pais (4 November – “Necesitamos más Europa en la economía”). Another success in Spain was Investindustrial whose owners, the Bronomi family, invested in an amusement park and, according to the Economist, go where others fear to tread (November 10 – Investindustrial. Where others fear to tread, with a report on the operation on November 4 in the Financial Times – Investindustrial in PortAventura deal*). One luxury brand reported on was Ferretti yachts, targeted to the emerging Chinese middle class (South China Morning Post, 8 novembre – Ferretti out to attract China’s rich middle class), while the Italian coffee industry also attracted attention. Two brands are moving swiftly in Asian markets: Illy is targeting Beijing and surrounding areas (China Daily, November 2 – Italian coffee group steams ahead in China) and Lavazza has made an agreement in India with Penguin Books to open bookshops with coffee shops (The Hindu Business Line, November 8 – Barista Lavazza brews a tie- up with Penguin Books).
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