H-FARM College students develop the communication strategy for the Italian data center industry

How can we tell the story of an industry that powers much of our digital lives, yet often remains hidden from the eyes of younger generations? This was the problem tackled by the students of Lumina, H-FARM College’s student consulting agency, in collaboration with IDA – Italian Datacenter Association.

Every day, we use services such as artificial intelligence, streaming, cloud, and gaming, often without knowing the infrastructure that makes them possible. Data centers are one of the key foundations of digital transformation, yet they are still perceived as a technical, distant, and inaccessible world, especially among younger audiences.

From this insight, a project was created involving Lumina students in the development of the creative and communication strategy for a six-month Instagram campaign designed “by Gen Z, for Gen Z”, with the goal of bringing university students, ITS students, and recent graduates closer to an innovative, sustainable sector full of professional opportunities.

Understanding before communicating

To build a narrative capable of truly engaging younger generations, students started with research, analyzing the perceptions, needs, and expectations of the target audience.

The work combined:

• international secondary research on data center industry growth, Gen Z career expectations, and key market trends;
• a proprietary survey involving Italian young people aged 18–25, to understand their level of awareness and perception of the industry;
• communication benchmarks, analyzing both industry players and brands that have successfully made complex topics more accessible and relatable;
• an analysis of IDA’s positioning, digital presence, and brand tone of voice.

The research highlighted a key insight: Gen Z is not uninterested in the data center industry, but often lacks the tools to understand its role and the opportunities it offers. The real challenge is therefore a narrative gap: creating a story capable of connecting digital infrastructure with people’s everyday lives.

A new narrative for the digital future

Starting from these insights, students defined three strategic objectives for the campaign:

• making visible what is usually invisible;
• overcoming stereotypes related to careers in the sector;
• positioning data centers as a driver of innovation and development for Italy’s future.

The result was a complete creative platform, including a Big Idea, a visual direction, and an editorial proposal for six monthly Instagram contents, designed to tell the story of the industry through more contemporary, accessible, and engaging languages for younger generations.

Throughout the project, developed between April and June 2026, students were supported by Daniele Pagani, Strategist at AKQA, who guided the team in the strategic and creative development of the project.

The final proposal was presented at Microsoft’s headquarters in Milan, creating an opportunity for dialogue between students, companies, and key players in the technology ecosystem.