Cornetto Announces Sam Youkilis Collaboration for "Unwrap the Summer"

Apr. 02, 2026

Cornetto today announces the next chapter of its "Unwrap the Summer" platform and collaboration with photographer and storyteller Sam Youkilis, known for making Mediterranean lifestyle moments go viral. Inspired by a simple yet universal summer ritual, the campaign brings the idea of “unwrapping” to real life—capturing people shedding layers along the coast and revealing moments of freedom and spontaneity.

Developed by LOLA Madrid, the renewed campaign takes a documentary-inspired approach, capturing the subtleties of summer and the intimacy of real-life gestures. Youkilis scoured the Italian coastline, seeking fleeting, sun-soaked scenes that define the season—turning everyday rituals into visual stories.

Built for a creative and advertising audience, the campaign blends Youkilis’ signature observational style with Cornetto’s platform idea—using everyday gestures, coastal details and human interactions to create a series of intimate vignettes designed to feel discovered rather than staged.

Hazal Kantman, Global Cornetto Brand Lead said:

“Summer is a feeling, not just a season. This collaboration with Sam captures the small rituals that go unnoticed but define summer. Unwrapping – whether a Cornetto or a personal moment of summer – became the thread connecting it all.”

 

Tomas Ostiglia, Executive Creative Director at LOLA Madrid, added:

“This campaign taps into a ritual that instantly brings you back to the brand. It’s about owning that moment when people start to ‘unwrap’ themselves — and turning it into a celebration of the anticipation of summer.”

 

‘Unwrap the Summer’ will run across digital, social and outdoor, supported by film and stills assets, in Italy, Spain, the UK, Turkey and the Netherlands—turning the simple act of unwrapping into a shared cultural moment.