Celebrating its 50th year as leader in microwave cooking, Whirlpool looked out at a world that had learned to embrace the technology as part of everyday life.

There was a notable exception. Italy.

The country famous for its culinary heritage lagged well behind Europe in market penetration: fewer than 50% of Italian households owned microwaves. It presented an opportunity to educate the consumer, assume a leadership position and generate brand awareness.

Whirlpool approached the agency’s Milan office to help turn perceptions around. We quickly recognized that what microwaves were missing in Italy was respect, and that’s exactly what we gave them. Building on previous partnerships with Liuc University and the Italian Association of Food Technology (AITA), we created the first “Master’s In Microwave Management,” a culinary degree endorsed by renowned Italian chefs recruited for the campaign, and offered it exclusively to influential food journalists and bloggers. Suddenly the microwave wasn't simply a method for rapid defrosting. It was a comprehensive tool for healthy, delicious modern cooking. Respected Italian food journalists were now part of the story, engaging in microwave events, cooking competitions and book promotions. Given a major role in the Master’s in Microwave campaign, food bloggers were happy to spread the word online. We made sure there were enough ingredients to attract traditional media as well.

We even secured the active collaboration of EATALY and Slow Food.

As a result, microwaves earned new respect in Italian culinary circles as a helpful tool in preparing tasty and healthy cuisine, and the Whirlpool brand increased its share of the premium market by more than 10% during the program period.

Master the moment.

We established the first Master’s in Microwave Management degree, and launched it with food journalists, thanks to a previous partnership with Liuc University and the AITA to develop the curriculum.

We brought in renowned Italian chef Antonio Marchello to teach the Master Class. He also co-authored a book on the subject with Whirlpool experts.

We created an online teaser campaign, a new website -- www.microricette.it -- and the iPhone app Wavelicious, encouraging users to share and compare microwave techniques, recipes and habits.

The Master’s Day event united journalists and food bloggers in team competition involving microwave preparation, mystery ingredients, and a jury of experts.

We optimized Whirlpool branding at the event, captured it on film and distributed it via social media platforms.

Our first “class” received their Master’s in Microwave Management degree. Educational and interactive activity at POS around Italy continues with Whirlpool chefs serving as microwave cooking ambassadors.

Whirlpool: in a class by itself

Italy picked up on the Master’s in Microwave story, with articles reaching more than 16 million readers. It was quality coverage, too. 90% of the stories accurately reported all key messages about microwave cooking’s ability to create traditional recipes in half the time with less fat and better taste.

The message transcended traditional gender lines. Women’s and food magazines focused on recipes and microwave cooking tips. Men’s publications emphasized the speed and simplicity of microwave cooking for fit and single men, and health and wellness magazines highlighted microwave cooking’s health benefits.

Italy was newly embracing microwave cooking, and Whirlpool benefitted, increasing its overall market share by 4% in Q4 2012 over Q4 2011, up to a healthy 40.3%, and in the Premium segment -- the category the PR campaign supported -- Whirlpool gained 10% market share, accounting for 68.9% of sales in Italy in Q4 2012.