Chiara Ferragni si excuse for the "communication error" on the Balocco pandoro. In a world where fame and anonymity coexist, the art of apologizing and trying to make up for mistakes is a valuable lesson that applies to everyone, but sometimes it is not enough. The Italian influencer, at the center of controversy after being fined over a million euros by the Competition and Market Authority for the misleading advertising of the Balocco "solidarity" pandoro, sprinkled ashes on her head in front of her (almost ) 30 million follower. She did it, obviously, through a video posted on her social channels, thus breaking a silence that lasted four days. “I have always been convinced that those who are more fortunate have the moral responsibility to do good. This is what we teach our children. We also teach them that mistakes can be made, and that when it happens we must admit, and if possible, make amends and learn from it." But it doesn't end here. Storm also on Easter eggs with Dolci Preziosi.
Why did Chiara Ferragni apologize? And what did she say?
Chiara Ferragni is accused of having advertised the "designer pandoro", mistakenly suggesting that the purchase would contribute to a donation to the Regina Margherita Hospital in Turin. In reality, only the Balocco company made a donation of 50 thousand euros to the hospital, a few months before the launch of Pandoro. So theAntitrust fined the influencer with over 1 million and the confectionery industry with another 420 thousand euros.
“To apologize and give substance to this gesture of mine: I will donate 1 million euros to Regina Margherita to support the care of children. I do this publicly because I realized I had made a communication error. A mistake that I will treasure in the future, completely separating any charitable activity, which I have always done and will continue to do, from commercial activities. Because even if the ultimate goal is good, if there has not been sufficient control over communication, it can give rise to misunderstandings." She then explains that she wants it challenge the provision of the Agcm, which he says is "disproportionate and unfair", underlining his "good faith". In any case "if the final sanction should be, as I hope, lower than that decided by the AGCM, the difference will be added to the million euros".
Chiara Ferragni apologizes for the Balocco pandoro: the controversy
The voice broken by emotion, the informal look and the reference to the children were interpreted by many as a calculated image strategy. The decision to donate one million euros to the hospital was welcomed by some, but others see it as an attempt to mitigate the reputational damage. The complexity of managing the image crisis in an image-based world is evident, with the public divided between appreciation and doubts about the sincerity of Ferragni's apology.
And this resulted in a loss of followers. According to statistics, before the Balocco case, the Italian entrepreneur had 29.732.266 followers, while in recent days the number has dropped to 29,6. A drop in the ocean, sure. But for those who base their business on popular consensus, it is a signal to take into account. Will Chiara Ferragni's apology on Instagram be enough to calm the storm of criticism and get her followers back?
Back and forth between Giorgia Meloni and Fedez
The uproar around the "Balocco case" goes beyond a simple dispute between a company and an authority. It involves cultural, sociological and, last but not least, political issues, as demonstrated by the thinly veiled dig of the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Atreju. “The real model to follow is not the influencers who make a lot of money by wearing clothes or showing bags, echoing the design or even promoting expensive panettoni with which they make people believe they will be doing charity, but whose price only serves to pay millionaires' fees." Defending the young influencer husband Fedez who asked Meloni if he is aware of the fact that some members of his government, under investigation for serious crimes and responsible for controversial actions such as stopping trains as if they were taxis, when they make mistakes, apologize and pay out of their own pockets.
Not only that, Striscia La Notizia also entered the case "at full speed" with the delivery of the Golden Tapir by the correspondent Valerio Staffelli.
“the Balocco case” teaches us that no one is perfect, even if we are committed to being so, in a world where image is the fragile pillar on which public perception is built.
Chiara Ferragni: after the pandoro there is also controversy over Easter eggs
Chiara Ferragni would have carried out sponsorships similar to those of the Pandoro Balocco in 2021 and 2022, this time for the Easter eggs from Dolci Preziosi. Although the communication stated that the eggs would support the "I Bambini delle Fate" charity project, it seems that the donation made by the company would have been 36 thousand euros in two years, while Ferragni would have collected 1,2 million euros for the sale of his image. Selvaggia Lucarelli on the website will untie the knots surrounding Chiara Ferragni's charity initiatives Without Newspapers, after hearing from the owner of Dolci Preziosi Franco Antonello who confirmed the absence of correlation between sales and the donation, as the influencer's communication would have implied, but also underlined that the sum donated for social purposes is considerably lower than Ferragni's compensation.
