The new frontier of advertising content: passing off as crime news (and the newspapers take the bait)

The Post newsletter reveals that an attempted rape was actually the result of a startup's press release. There are many newspapers that published the news without checks. Francis Walsingham's letter

Dear director,

I know you are tired of hearing your category continually mistreated by myself, but once again I felt the need to put pen to paper to get clarification from you, who are certainly not new to this world, on the way in which many of your colleagues work nowadays. Since you have often given me asylum on Start, I also thought of asking for more hospitality to help at least all those editorial staff who, evidently overworked and understaffed, are unable to do the job properly.

Reading the Post 's Charlie newsletter, I discover that "several Italian newspapers published between Tuesday and Wednesday the news of a 17-year-old girl who was allegedly attacked on a train between Milan and Brescia and who managed to escape thanks to a bracelet with of an acoustic alarm signal ( Adnkronos , Giorno , and Corriere della Sera , among others)”.

The news is dramatic, because there are countless similar episodes, so far be it from me to want to take it lightly or disrespect the victim. However, if you already understand where I'm going with this, you'll be laughing at me. “The articles – they always write in the newsletter – were formulated with very unjournalistic tones, which focused attention on the bracelet, on the company that produces it, and on promoting its effectiveness; and they framed the news among narrative details whose source was not reported (the protagonist herself was described only by her first name, and no public authority was indicated).”

I recover the excerpt published on Adnkronos : “The providential entry of another person distracts the gang for a moment, allowing Valentina to act. In fact, the girl has an important ally at her disposal, small but effective: it is WinLet, an electronic device that is easily activated by pressing a central button three times, and which immediately comes to the aid of its owner by promptly activating a siren that it emits a sound above 110 decibels, the aim of which is to scare off attackers.”

Director, I know you deal with finance and not news, but have you ever seen a case told in this way? Me, as a reader, never. It seems like a Mastrota teleshopping: "important ally", "small but effective", "it is easily operated", "which immediately comes to the aid of its owner by promptly activating a siren"…

Not happy, Adnkronos reports entire excerpts from the startup's note, revealing that it is not an agency but a press release: "The device proves to be an ideal ally also in the field of domestic violence – the note reports – in fact it allows to also activate a silent alarm. WinLet, which won the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards as the best product in Italy, also meets the needs of comfort, in fact it can be worn on any occasion, as a pendant or a bracelet (it resembles an elegant smart-watch), or applying it to your bag or key ring. In Valentina's case, the confirmation that technology can save people, women and men without distinction. It is no coincidence – concludes the note – that the device is also appreciated by 15% of male buyers".

AdnKronos is keen to inform that the super hero device is "born from an idea by Pier Carlo Montali, CEO and creator of the Milanese startup Security Watch: WinLet, reports a note, confirms itself as a response to the growing concern about individual security, especially in big cities like Milan.”

And here comes my modest help to the journalists, because for me they did not speak with due emphasis about the startup (or start up? Meh…) nor about Pier Carlo Montali, who for example I discovered had just been audited by the Parliamentary Commission of investigation into femicide.

The parliamentary commission of inquiry into #femicide , as well as all forms of gender violence, is hearing Pier Carlo Montali, CEO of the start-up "Security Watch Srl" and creator of the #WinLet device. pic.twitter.com/4rNxFvLVYw

— Chamber of Deputies (@Montecitorio) January 22, 2024

I retrieved the minutes , here's what he said: “Let's start with what WinLet is. For several years I have been in the world of digital and technological start-ups, in 2019 I opened the company Security Watch Srl together with other founders, including the CIVIS SpA group, Nicola Iberati and Antonino Foti. The reason I opened it is because one evening, while I was going for a run in Milan, I happened to find myself by chance in a dark area at a time when no one was there. At that moment I thought I didn't feel any particular fear, but I immediately asked myself: could a woman do exactly what I was doing without having any fear? The answer was obvious and from that moment I started carrying out market research in the sector, smart personal security devices, i.e. technological tools for personal safety. I saw that in Italy the market was absolutely backward, but also in Europe and the United States there was not a single product that brought together all the new technologies developed. This is how the idea of ​​WinLet was born. A product that we have registered and patented throughout Europe and which we plan to market worldwide in 2025. This is the device I'm showing you, I don't know if it can see you, but it's a very small smart device, less than three centimeters in length and width, and it's only one and a half centimeters high. It is very light as it weighs less than 100 grams, the design is modern, but deliberately not flashy. It can be used as a bracelet, as a pendant or as a key ring. As you will see, it has a protective dome that protects it from blows and is made up of a single panic button.”

I cut because I know that otherwise you will intervene on my letters with the cleaver, but the enlightened entrepreneur also said: “Another feature particularly appreciated by our users is the silent alarm. It is used particularly in cases of domestic violence and is designed for all those situations in which it is not useful to activate a siren or receive phone calls because it could make the situation worse. Then by pressing the panic button for three seconds SOS notifications will be sent specifying that it is a silent alarm and, obviously, providing the user's position in real time. Finally, the last two features. The first very useful one, which we have seen to be one of the most appreciated features by our users, is that the WinLet never needs to be recharged. This, which may seem trivial, is very important because today we are all surrounded by smart devices that continually need charging. A device of this kind, which, in fact, one hopes to never have to use, would be forgotten after some time and therefore would be useless. Instead, our long-lasting battery, which guarantees three years of activity, allows the device to always be charged and ready for use. This is possible because WinLet is always turned off and only activates in case of emergency. This also protects the privacy of the user who therefore does not even have the feeling of being continuously monitored, even if only by software. Furthermore, we are developing the last big feature, which is recording via smartphone. We would save everything recorded by the cell phone's audio and camera on a protected cloud, so that in the event of a complaint the user can bring proof of what actually happened."

He then informed the Commission of the fact that: “We have been on the market since the end of 2021 and in 2022 Amazon awarded us as the best start-up in Italy and as the Top 20 in Europe, giving us the Amazon Launchpad Innovation Awards. The aspect we are most proud of is that in the last eighteen months WinLet has intervened in more than three hundred cases to help or save people from dangerous situations. The episode that received the most coverage in the media is probably the case of the two girls in Milan, in the Navigli area, who were surrounded by eight people and thanks to the WinLet device they managed to free themselves and call for help.”

The good Pier Carlo also has revolutionary ideas to combat this very odious phenomenon which prevents women from being safe in the evening, ideas which naturally have nothing to do with his business: "If the State had a device similar to the WinLet, obviously not the WinLet, with siren, with SOS notifications and a police station always connected, providing for a minimum production of even just ten thousand devices, the cost of the single device would be less than 10 euros, whereas for a modern operations center the annual investment would be from 1 to 2 million euros. I personally would start by donating the state device to all the people who have the courage to report violence. After which the donations could be extended to all the people who have suffered violence in the past and subsequently to those employed in risky jobs, such as healthcare workers, teachers, drivers and many others."

And again: “Finally, allow me, if we want to think big, we could even produce a million devices to donate to all the women who request them, but asking in exchange for a minimum subscription of 1 euro per month, so as to demonstrate the their actual interest in the device. From the calculations we have done with the production of one million devices, the cost of a single device would fall below 5 euros. And with an operational centre, with a maximum annual cost of 2 million euros as we said before, the cost for the State for this operation would be around 7 million euros, which however would be amply repaid by the revenues from subscriptions which would reach around 12 million . It would therefore be a profitable operation, as well as socially useful. ”

Do we want to hide such information from readers? Also because the founder and CEO of this company that produces warning devices is now considered a point of reference when it comes to startups (or start-ups) and has different activities at stake… "Montali: «In Italy there are many quality start-ups who need to be helped"", the title of an article in the Gazzetta di Parma. It thus turns out that “Montali is an expert in Sales Management. «As a consultant – he underlines – I quickly increased the turnover of multinationals, SMEs and start-ups. Working first in Holland, Great Britain and in recent years in Italy." The article concludes like this: “For those wishing to know more about Itasa, they can visit the website www.itasa.agency.”

Why, I ask you, did the newspapers listed by Charlie omit all this, in my opinion, crucial information? I hope to help them by completing their summary description which only partially manages to convey the message on the indispensability of the product.

Fortunately, another article, this time from the newspaper , rebalances the situation: “Boom in sales of anti-violence bracelets: here's how it works”, the title of the article. The bolt follows: “WinLet is a life-saving device that allows you to send a request for help by forwarding your position in real time, furthermore the accessory instantly emits an alarm siren”.

As rightly underlined by the editorial team which was once in the very central Cordusio, in via Negri (and which today, having ended up a little further on the outskirts, in the Scalo Farini, in the train area, probably feels the issue of insecurity more than others), the startup fights crime better than Beppe Sala: “Milan is perceived by many citizens as an unsafe city. Here, "WinLet" was born to deal with the problem: it is an electronic bracelet that has the function of acting as a life-saving device. And which is experiencing a boom in sales these days, both from women and men.”

Then the founder's hagiography begins: “As anticipated, Milan is the most dangerous city in the whole of Italy. In this regard, Pier Paolo Montali, founder of WinLet, stated: "Milan is the city that sees the highest number of WinLet purchases". The founder is 38 years old, originally from Parma and after studying at Bocconi, he went to work in London and Holland before returning to the Lombardy capital. After a long search without results regarding possible devices to deal with the problem, the idea of ​​a technological bracelet was born with a battery life of up to three years and the possibility of wearing it easily and immediately. The product is also designed for domestic violence, in fact the bracelet also has the function of sending a silent alarm.”

Of course, this article was not read by the lady who posed this question to the founder during the hearing: “ Daniela Morfino : Although the device really has excellent features and could prove useful in many cases of stalking , my question is the following: how Can this tool protect women when, despite repeated complaints or measures in place, a person intending to commit the crime of femicide still manages to come into contact with the victim? Because this is the crucial point."

Luckily the answer is very clear and detailed: “Pier Carlo Montali: Obviously WinLet was not created to protect these forms of violence. In the sense that the difficulty of stopping a stalker with our device is obvious. Our device is designed above all for all that violence that can occur within the walls of the home or casually on the street. So we talk about assaults and whatnot. But the question, in my opinion, is very pertinent, because with some simple changes we could also manage the danger of stalkers. Obviously, collaboration with the State is necessary, so that both the victim and the stalker have an application that geolocalises them. In that case, in my opinion, one could, in a very simple, immediate and also inexpensive way, always maintain the distance between two people. After that, with a device similar to the WinLet, in the event of an approach, everything we said is triggered, therefore the siren, the call to the police and so on".

I would have liked to read all this in the articles published in Adnkronos , Giorno , and Corriere della Sera . And of course I don't agree with Charlie's sanctimonious conclusions ("After a brief investigation by Charlie , the source of those articles was the company itself that produces the bracelet, with its own press release – Polfer had no news of the attempted attack .: from the company itself they confirm that no newspaper called them before publishing to have more checks or information (and they claim that the news is true "but we cannot give more details, nor the girl's contact details, for privacy reasons") .

In short, my intervention for once was not to underline that journalists increasingly do not verify the source ("Beyond the case itself and the possible validity of the fact – I always report from Charlie , it is further confirmation that often the editorial staff of the major newspapers do not carry out any checks on the information received, with promotional interest, from the press offices, and publish it as true"), but to help all those entities which are probably understaffed and which, due to too many deliveries, are unable to paint all-round importance of certain realities for the country's economy, as well as for society and even for everyone's safety.

I hope I have made a contribution: if I hadn't succeeded, the national Barbarona will undoubtedly make it: d'Urso, in fact, in her second life after Mediaset is the testimonial of the startup .

For once, director, I truly leave you in good hands. Even if you certainly would have preferred the help of the Order of Journalists: ah, if only there was a bracelet that pressed it and came to the aid of these editorial offices that are so understaffed that they don't carry out the necessary checks…

Your,

Francis Walsingham

This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/la-nuova-frontiera-del-contenuto-pubblicitario-spacciarsi-per-cronaca-nera-e-i-giornali-abboccano/ on Fri, 05 Apr 2024 06:18:09 +0000.