Pacino gives Vittoria a boost – and no ad agency; claims he wouldn’t have done it with a script

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Thumbnail image for Screen shot 2010-07-14 at 2.29.30 AM.pngJulian Lee in today’s SMH reports that Vittoria Coffee sales have gone gangbusters since the launch of the recent campaign starring Al Pacino. But the client said the result could have been different – and certainly more expensive – if an advertising agency had been involved.

Quoting the client, CEO Les Schirato: ”One of the things that [Pacino] liked is that we didn’t give him a script. He liked the freedom as it was about his own experiences. He wouldn’t have done it if we had tried to put words in his mouth.” Pacino and Hollywood director Barry Levinson developed the script.

The client said engaging Levinson, who was behind hits such as Rain Man and Wag the Dog and who had just finished shooting a TV movie with Pacino, would have been more expensive had he gone through an ad agency.