Mike Goes To Brazil
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Mike goes to Brazil
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The period from stable monarchical rule to present day Brazil encapsulates many of the long-standing issues the country has faced. The period witnessed many ‘revolutions’ but many mirrored the first which established independence. The revolutions often took an unexpected turn and widespread violence was avoided.
During the period, Brazil experimented with democracy but also had periods of dictatorship. It tried to build a strong domestic economy but still welcomed foreign investors and the lucrative export market. It tried to build a state that supported its people but was unable to close the gap between the rich and the poor.
Just like the overthrow of Portuguese rule, the declaration of a republic didn’t represent a significant rupture with the past. Unlike many South American countries, Brazil has no great figure of rebellion (in the mould of Bolívar or Zapata.) Moreover, there was no groundswell of republican sentiment, rather the overthrow of the King was more governed by those in power who felt the monarchy was holding the country back.
Much of this was driven by the country’s military elites who continued to fight for power during the republic’s embryonic phase. However, the 1930s saw the rise of Getúlio Vargas, a man who would help define much of modern Brazil. Vargas was a civilian politician but with a mandate to keep the country together. The Republic soon found itself under a dictatorship through the passing of the Estado Novo.
But as a charismatic leader, Vargas remained popular with his people. He also had a vision for Brazil which still has an impact on the country today. Under the banner of ‘national developmentalism’, Vargas sought to promote the country and much of this was channelled through the economy. Vargas set up bodies to help manage the economy with the aim of establishing the likes of national oil and steel industries. Behind this, Vargas was heavily influenced by corporatism which was a reaction to industrial change and placed emphasis on the State.
Like elsewhere in the world, the aftermath of World War Two led to greater political vibrancy in Brazil which resulted in Vargas standing for election. This witnessed a fragile period of democracy which allowed for the democratic transition of power. (This included President Kubitschek, the man responsible for building Brasilia.)
However, the foundations for democracy weren’t built on solid ground and for much of the second half of the twentieth century, Brazil spent it under military dictatorship. The army feared instability and saw a growing threat in communism. Again, Brazil’s dictatorship was different to others in South America. The style of leader was different, it maintained of the appearance of democracy and in general tried to keep the country together.
This isn’t to say the dictatorship was benign. It established a heavy surveillance presence, many were killed and many were tortured, including some of the future leaders of the country.
It has certainly been eventful since I got back from back from Brazil. One broken hand, trying to get back into things and then planning for my return. Yes, that’s right I was going back to Brazil.
So why I am back Brazil? In short, for dinner. LAR are putting on their first ever Gala dinner to build support for the charity. As the campaign will aim to the same thing, it was decided that the two should be combined. I was privileged enough to be invited back to help launch the campaign.
So what has happened while I’ve been away? Well in true account management style, I left INATA a big to-do list to make sure the campaign stayed on track. This included finalising the outdoor, producing the film and helping LAR prepare for the big event. It was quite the list and tricky to manage from 5000 miles away (Google translate went into overdrive!)
Stepping off the plane and the pace has only got more frenetic. Like many projects, there have been issues, communication problems between client and ad agency and last minute delivery of work. Throw in the language barrier and it feels like a baptism of fire all over again. (all of which has contributed to a strange sense of nostalgia.)
But with six hours to go, it feels like we are almost there. All the work is done, the presentation is written and the suit is ready (yes, you heard right.) And it promises to be some event, a 350 person Gala dinner complete with live music and star chefs.
No, I definitely don’t think I’ve learnt the lot during my four weeks here in Brazil. In fact I’ve only started to scratch the surface of what this massive country has to offer.
However, I did present the Conditions Zone to a group of students this week. As I’ve been working in a University, I thought it was a good idea to use one of their advertising lectures and give a presentation about Grey and the type of work its making currently.
Consequently, it only seemed logically to start with the Conditions Zone. Would a Brazilian audience find it amusing that us Brits tried to recreate the conditions of Manaus in the heart of London? Of course, there was much laughter when I presented the idea. But I also emphasised that this is the type of non-traditional work Grey wants to make which gets into popular culture.
On a slight side note, in a class of about 30, I asked how many had gone to Manaus. The answer was one. I’m heading there this weekend so I’m going somewhere many Brazilians haven’t been.
As well as taking them through the Conditions Zone, I also took them through other work including The Times Icons, Vodafone’s The Call, Volvo’s The Swell and Shwarz Flavour Shots. Obviously, I don’t need to repeat the strengths of each piece of work, but it was interesting to note, that when presenting to a non-UK (and non-English speaking) audience, the work still had resonance. It perhaps highlights the power of emotion in communications – using emotion creates the ability to overcome barriers in language, culture etc.
I also showed them Scope’s End The Awkward. As I’ve been working on NGO which specialises in looking after disabled children, it has been interesting to compare and contrast the two different organisations. Some things have been similar (like the use of the colour purple!) but other things have been different (like the size of the organisations involved.) Unlike the other work I present, it was perhaps a bit more difficult to get but I think that’s partly due to the English sense of humour!
But overall how does Brazilian advertising compare to UK or Western advertising in general? I have to hold my hand up and say I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Much of what I’ve seen has been similar to what you find back home. Yes, the likes of Jeep and Ford are probably part of large international campaigns but from juice drinks to snacks, the campaigns I’ve seen are very similar to the ads back home.
Perhaps a more interesting difference from my perspective is that planning is still very much emerging in the Brazilian advertising industry. Yes, there are a few planners dotted about, but the demand for planners both by agencies and clients is still relatively low (most planning is done by the Creative Director.) The lack of a strategy culture is something I really noticed when I started at the university but the students were quick to pick up on its benefits.
So this is unapologetically about football. Sorry! But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. (But I promise to throw in some developmental stuff to keep the non-football fanatics happy!)
Or maybe not in the case of attending football matches. Anyone will tell you that Brazilians love football but it doesn’t mean packed out grounds. I should know. I’ve been to three games during my project here. I even went to back to back games last weekend!
During my stay here, I’ve gone native and immersed myself in the local game (I will seriously miss watching Globo Esporte [sports news round-up] over lunch.) And I’ve come to realise that the relentless focus on the English Premier League has become unhealthy and we need to look beyond the English game.
Now I’ve haven’t completely lost touch with what’s happening back home. I managed to catch Liverpool versus Manchester United on Sunday. Indeed, I was treated to the bizarre sight of seeing Brazilian football legend Pele being presented to the Anfield crowd whilst watching on Brazilian Fox Sports. In case you were wondering, United convincingly beat Liverpool 2-1 and so proved worthy contenders for a Top 4 finish.
I went to my own derby, or classico in Portuguese, over the weekend. Recife has three football clubs (Náutico, Sport and Santa Cruz) and when they play each other you can expect fireworks. I went to see Sport take on Náutico at the Arena Pernambuco. The Arena Pernambuco was built for last year’s World Cup. Like all modern stadia, its state of the art and beautifully designed.
However, I didn’t quite find the find the fireworks I was expecting. Yes, the classico featured the usual thrills and spills you might expect including two red cards, goals and passionate fans. And yes, some youths tried to throw flip-flops at the bus I was travelling in. But the stadium wasn’t even half full – matches typically get around 5,000 fans (a figure you might expect for a League One or Two game in the UK.) But this isn’t uncommon in Brazil as football attendances are generally low due to a variety of reasons from TV scheduling (games must take place after soap operas) to the complexity of the fixture list.
Against this backdrop, Brazil made a huge investment in the World Cup, for example the Arena Pernambuco was built at a cost of $R500 million. In Brazil, I have definitely sensed a World hungover (and that’s not just because of the humiliation suffered at the hands of the Germans!) There seems to be a general apathy towards a World Cup legacy and the feeling it was one very expensive four week party. However, I do feel there are some positives – the new stadiums are accessible, many families and children were present at the game I attended and in general there was good atmosphere at matches.
So almost unbelievably I’ve not got long left on my TIE project. But it also means I’m nearing crunch time. This Friday I have to give a full client presentation to the board of directors at LAR and hopefully sell an idea in.
So what I have been working on this last three and a bit weeks along with the guys at INATA? Well, it’s been the advertising equivalent of the men’s downhill at the Olympic Games. Superfast and occasionally holding on for dear life at times. I’ve gone from client brief to research, strategic planning to creative development and finally to shaping up the entire campaign. I’ve made it three-quarters of the way down the mountain but still must overcome the jump to the finish.
LAR presented to me what seemed liked to me a simple and ultimately worthy challenge. They provided care and support for up to 15 disabled children and their siblings. However, the levels of donations didn’t match their current outgoings threatening the level of quality they could provide. Consequently, LAR wanted to expand their donor base so that they could ensure the long-term sustainability of the organisation.
However, my research soon revealed there would be no simple solution. Unlike in the UK, there is not the same culture of giving here in Brazil. Brazil ranked 90th on the World Giving Index in 2014 and in every meeting I attended people warned me that asking individuals to donate money was almost impossible. So my best bet was to go after corporates or CEO’s.
But as much as I wanted to find the right donors for LAR, I also knew there was another story out there. In a piece of research I commissioned at the University, we discovered that 45% of people didn’t like to talk about disability. As result, if people weren’t talking about disability, how could they begin to understand the challenges faced by LAR or disabled people in general?
It was clear that there was two separate audiences with two different challenges. But I wanted to make sure I found something which united the two. In Brazil, the idea of ‘family’ is very important, both on a private and public level. We used this as the powerful insight to bring the audiences together. Corporates and CEO’s could help support the future of LAR whilst in society we have the responsibility to support each other in building a better and more inclusive society.
Developing this insight means the two elements of the campaign won’t go off and do their own thing, but also gives enough space for each element to meet specific objectives. For the more general society campaign, we want to use ATL advertising to get people talking and thinking differently about disability. And on the corporate side of the fence we want to create a donor club to help incentivise giving.
If you spend any time in Brazil, the links to Portugal are self-evident. The two countries share a history which continues to shape the present.
If you know anything about Napoleon Bonaparte, you’ll know he got around a bit. And Portugal was no exception. During his rampage across Europe, the Portuguese monarchy felt the need to flee to their colony across the Atlantic. Indeed, Rio became the Imperial capital which saw the rare example of the colony becoming the centre of power as the home country faced ruin.
In 1815 the pesky Frenchman met his downfall at the Battle of Waterloo and the King of Portugal started to make his way back to his homeland with peace returning to Europe. However a return to the status quo wasn’t on the cards – the centre of control for the Empire remained unresolved with the King’s son remaining Brazil. The colony felt it was more than equal partners, and amid public appeal the King’s son, Dom Pedro, declared his intention to stay in Brazil.
Independence was declared in 1822, known as Dia Fico, and it marked a unique transition of power. It was done without violence and ushered in a long period of stable monarchy (it is one of the many features which makes Brazil different to the rest of South America.) The establishment of an independent monarchy had several lasting consequences. It meant there was no great upheaval in socio-economic patterns and the monarchy was responsible for installing many of the instruments of government. Both these factors have had a lasting impact on how the country is governed.
Dom Pedro was succeeded by his son, Dom Pedro II, who became known as a ‘Habsburg in the tropics’. The King is one of Brazil’s most influential leaders, a monarch who ruled for fifty years and helped build modern Brazil.
The fundamental challenge faced by Dom Pedro II – and one that is still faced today – was how to govern such a large country. Support for the monarchy was partly built on the belief that it was the best option to keep the country together. The main tension revolved around the distribution of power between the centre and local elites. Over time it saw the development of a constitutional monarchy which allowed for some indirect elections. Much of this was organised by civil servants trained at law schools in Recife and Olinda.
During his reign Dom Pedro II scored notable achievements including the abolishment of slavery in Brazil and unity in the country (helped by a victorious war in the South.) However, due to the unusual transition to monarchy, much of the original set-up had remained in contact resulting in limited power beyond the elites and widespread inequality. Some of these challenge remain in Brazil today.
I’ve been asking myself that question many times over the last couple of weeks. Just exactly what is a timing plan? And what do the other departments at Grey do?
Learning about all this is a feature of my TIE experience. I’ve been sent out to Brazil to represent the wonderful world of Grey. But as the sole representative on the ground, I need to adopt roles in the advertising process that I might be less familiar with. By my count that means adopting at least six different roles during the coming weeks.
It means I have to move out of the relative safety of planning. Ecck! So the question is will I survive? To borrow an analogy from the battlefield (nothing sport-related here), the planning department sits in one of the support trenches behind the front line helping direct operations. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing allowing planners vital thinking time in the heat of battle and a longer perspective.
On the front line sit the account department locked in a constant battle with the client (can I say that?!) And whenever there’s a push into creative territory, you’ll find creative producers coordinating the charge. As for creatives, they sit bunkered in the trenches waiting to go over the top.
On my first day here I experienced the equivalent of some heavy shelling as my planning world was rocked to the foundations. I found myself pushed up to the frontline with the responsibility of leading the charge.
To stand any chance of getting a campaign out the door in four weeks, I needed to make a timing plan with the rest of the team. It turns out timing plans are rather useful things by putting key markers in the ground. So over an after an afternoon, we planned out a research and briefing stage, a creative phase and finally the client presentation.
As this process continues to move forward, I’ll have to adopt further skill sets. One of the great things about Grey is the Open relationship between the different departments but working alongside them is very different to understanding the day-to-day skill set involved in each role. So I will need to hone my client management skills as well honing my creative eye.
Consequently, the great thing about this process is that it takes people out of the comfort zone and encourages them to learn new skills.
So I went back to school Brazilian style.
Part of my TIE experience is working with an experimental agency (INATA) based at AESO University just outside Recife. AESO provides a number of opportunities for students to gain ‘real world’ experience alongside their academic studies, from working in a recording studio to learning the ropes in journalism. INATA was set-up to allow students who have an interest in advertising the chance to work alongside industry professionals and work on live briefs. They will provide my agency support during my time working with LAR.
The students have lectures in the morning and then the afternoons free to work on their chosen project. It’s an early start – the first lecture is at 7am (British students take note!) After a couple of days working at INATA, I was curious to find out more about university life so decided to invite myself to a lecture.
Luckily one of the students I’m working with is attending a lecture series entitled ‘An introduction to advertising in Brazil’ so thought this might be a good place to start. Even more fortunate was the fact it started at 9am which at least gave me a better chance of attending.
So what’s the difference compared to a UK university? The layout? Think your typical American college. Rows of private desks with the professor lecturing at the front on a platform. However, were there any big differences? Not really. Students are students after all. Most seemed to wander in when they liked and spend much of their time on their smartphones.
But there was also plenty of lively discussion once the lecture got going. And it was of course all in Portuguese. But with the help of some translation and following the Powerpoint, I was able to get the gist of what was going on.
We went right back to the beginning to the 1930’s in Brazil. Much of the work was pretty similar to the UK work of that era. A host of new consumer goods such as washing powder, health products and drinks were
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