In late 2022, Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni partnered with bakery company Balocco on a 'designer' pandoro — a Christmas cake bearing her branding, sold at roughly two and a half times the price of the classic version. The promotion led consumers to believe that buying the pandoro would contribute to a charitable initiative. In fact, the donation to a children's hospital had been made months earlier, before the campaign began.
On 15 December 2023, Italy's antitrust authority (AGCM) ruled the campaign an unfair commercial practice. Ferragni's companies — Fenice and TBS Crew — were fined over €1 million for licensing her trademarks and creating the content. Balocco was fined €420,000. The total penalty was approximately €1.4 million.
Ferragni issued a public apology video. The case, dubbed 'Pandoro-gate' in Italian media, became a landmark in the regulation of influencer marketing in Italy, prompting wider scrutiny of how influencers communicate charitable tie-ins to their audiences.
The decision cost €1.4M in antitrust fines and lasting brand damage.
The charity message implied a causal link between purchase and donation that did not exist — the donation preceded the campaign by months
The premium price (2.5× the standard pandoro) was framed as partly charitable, giving consumers a reason to pay more that was not real
No regulatory framework existed for influencer charity claims, so the campaign was designed without compliance review
The influencer's personal brand was the entire selling proposition, so the reputational damage was concentrated on one person
Charity-linked promotions must state the mechanism precisely — 'buying this funds X' when the donation is already made is not marketing, it is a misrepresentation that regulators will fine.
The case triggered a broader review of influencer marketing practices in Italy. Consumer groups cited it as evidence that influencer endorsements needed the same disclosure standards as traditional advertising. Ferragni's subsequent brand partnerships were scrutinised under the new precedent.
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