The Suzuki Ad Campaigns Photographs by Franco Turcati That Scandalized the Whole Italy in the 1960s

Franco Turcati was used to shoot Alfa Romeo automobiles for the Turin-based car dealership Monzeglio, that in the early 1970s became the first Italian importer of Suzuki motorbikes.

“This gentleman called Hideyuki Miyakawa, who had come to Italy all the way from Japan on a motorbike,” Turcati told Synaesthetic Magazine. “He married Maria Luisa Bassano, a woman from Turin, and started working as a middle man between Monzeglio and Suzuki. He was an extremely talented guy who soon turned into a close collaborator of [esteemed Italian car designer] Giugiaro, becoming his right-arm in the world.”

In 1965, quipped with a Nikon F with a 300mm telephoto lens lent to him by Quattroruote, Turcati dived into advertising by shooting the first iconic Suzuki Italian campaigns. The sensual ‘Io Suzuki e Tu?’ campaign paired motorbikes and girls with the typical male gaze of those days, but it was also a fantastic insight into the transitioning phase of late 1960s and early 1970s female fashion.

Modelled by Turcati’s teenage friend and model Lia Dezman, the adverts featured curly wigs, knee-high vinyl boots, and see-through crochet garments. However, to shock the public opinion was the following campaign. With a slogan conceived by ad woman Vilma Cino and inspired by a quote from George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the campaign titled ‘Donne e moto sono tutte uguali, ma qualcuna è più uguale’ (‘All women and bikes are equal, but some are more equal than others.’) 

“It was the first ad campaign to be condemned in Italy by the Istituto di Autodisciplina Pubblictaria, a newly formed body that sanctioned offensive adverts,” explained Turcati. “Despite Vilma was a woman herself and was inspired by Orwell, the advert was accused of sexism. Back then, the fire of feminism was just starting in Italy and, at the same time, [photographer] Oliviero Toscani’s bum for the Jesus Jeans advertising campaign had just come out too. Both adverts were targeted by Angelo Pezzana, the founder of FUORI the first Italian gay movement, who at night time would cover the billboards with massive stickers saying ‘this advert offends women.’ The fun fact is that some years later I met Pezzana, whilst on holiday in Sicily, and he proudly told me the anecdote. Those were very peculiar and amusing times.”

As a consequence, Suzuki had to change its advertising strategy and came up with the ‘Suzuki Isola D’Acciaio’ (Suzuki Steel Island) slogan. The campaign, shot on the Forte dei Marmi beach, despite its futuristic appeal didn’t reach the same level of popularity of the previous incriminated one.  In the company’s Japanese headquarters, a decision was taken to opt for more sober campaigns. 

“The Japanese didn’t like the campaign condemnation despite it brought lots of attention to the brand against much stronger competitors like Honda, Kawasaki, Laverda, and Guzzi,” said Turcati. “They signed a deal with a new advertising firm, OPIT from Milan and booked the Monza circuit to shoot a campaign there. I regretfully have to say that it was insignificant. When the agency accepts a compromise with the client, creativity is lost.”

“After we were the first to try different and challenging campaigns out, most motorbike adverts turned extremely vulgar and tasteless. The copy and paste generation of the Macintosh era overall ruined the style,” observed Turcati, “With the advent of computers we were enthusiastic at first, but then I realized that the market suddenly changed, opening to a multitude of young people who haven’t got any true grasp of typography and design. There has been a fall in our interlocutors. We were used to grow professionally by confronting ourselves with great entrepreneurs and art directors.”