Venchi taps Michelle Wai and Ryan Choi for summer gelato campaign

Venchi has launched a new global campaign, “Taste genius”, this summer, as the Italian chocolate and gelato brand looks to highlight its approach to ingredients, craftsmanship and seasonal flavours.

Running from June to August, the campaign centres on the sophisticated "Taste genius" core philosophy, positioning the brand's gelato around the defining concept of "Few ingredients. Each perfect. Taste genius" by letting minimal, unadulterated premium ingredients take center stage.

This foundation is dynamically amplified through a cross-disciplinary "Genius partners" alignment that bridges the worlds of film and sports, creating a multifaceted lifestyle narrative across social media platforms.  

On the retail front, the campaign focuses on transforming Venchi stores into experiential destinations where flavor meets design, offering genuine, refined, and deeply satisfying taste experiences that leave room for the pure pleasure of taste. 

The campaign targets gelato enthusiasts and individuals seeking authentic Italian craftsmanship, complex flavour layers, and sophisticated global flavour pairings. Additionally, both existing and new lifestyle-driven consumers are highly motivated by the brand's exclusive, limited-edition design merchandise. 

To support the campaign in Hong Kong, Venchi has appointed local actress Michelle Wai and foil fencer-turned-singer Ryan Choi as its “Genius partners”. Both personalities were selected to reflect the campaign’s focus on precision and craft in their respective fields. Both Choi and Wai possess supreme prowess in their fields, perfectly mirroring the precision, depth, and dedication behind Venchi’s artisanal gelato. 

Wai, who has won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress titles at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the Hong Kong Film Awards, is featured in the campaign for her work in film and acting. Choi, a former world No. 1 in men’s foil fencing who recently entered the music industry, represents the campaign’s focus on precision and discipline.

Speaking on the collaboration, Choi said: “In the world of fencing, victory or defeat hinges on absolute precision. A single point, a fraction of a second, or a mere millimetre makes all the difference, demanding countless hours of training behind the scenes to deliver a perfect match.”

Alongside the campaign, Venchi has introduced a summer-limited “Lychee & Mediterranean lemon gelato” flavour, available from July. The flavour combines lychee with Mediterranean lemon and is positioned as a seasonal offering for the summer period.

The brand is also bringing back its seasonal limited-edition “Durian gelato”, made with D24 durians. In addition, Venchi is continuing to offer its signature “Chocoviar 75% dark chocolate gelato”, which features dark chocolate and Chocoviar grains.

From 4 July to 28 July, Venchi members who purchase a set of gelato vouchers, priced at HK$650 for 10 vouchers, will receive a limited-edition Venchi Gelato Phone Strap while stocks last. The straps are available in Strawberry and Pistachio gelato designs.

The campaign is driven by a comprehensive, omnichannel approach utilising Venchi’s official social media, eye-catching out-of-home (OOH) advertising, targeted press releases, immersive in-store promotional materials, and strategic alignments across KOL platforms to maximise campaign visibility and consumer engagement. 

Related articles:

Uncle Chieng dishes out ice cream to get consumers clicking Orchard Road's night beauty
AIA empowers HKers to pursue their aspirations with new campaign