Case Study: Barilla achieves 5.22M global reach and strong engagement with ACTIVATE

Managing influencers across 14 markets for experiential activation

Barilla partnered with ACTIVATE to raise awareness of its annual Pasta World Championship in Milan and to position Barilla as the preferred pasta for healthy, wholesome recipes across 14 key global markets. The challenge was to draw attention to the event and inform global audiences, so Barilla used ACTIVATE’s influencer technology and custom influencer content program to mobilize creators around the competition.

ACTIVATE handpicked 31 global food and lifestyle influencers (29 attended the two‑day event) who produced Instagram static posts, stories and long‑form blog content to showcase chefs, recipes and the Milan experience. The campaign generated a combined reach of 5.22M, 585 pieces of content, 1.88M Instagram impressions, 186K engagements and a 2.08% average Instagram engagement rate, with 50% of posts showing 100% positive sentiment and an average positivity rate of 77.4%—demonstrating ACTIVATE’s measurable impact.

Barilla