Our goal was to make Mercado Livre stand out during a competitive season for retail marketing: Father's Day. So we decided to use a powerful asset of the brand: Flamengo's team sponsorship.

Zico is the greatest idol of Flamengo, the most popular football team in Brazil, with over 40 million supporters. He is considered one of the best players ever even by legends like Maradona and Pelé. He is also the all-time top scorer of Maracanã Stadium, the most iconic stadium in the country and Flamengo's home field, with 334 goals. So when Zico revealed that, due to heart conditions, his father was never able to see one of these goals in person, we decided to use that story to send a message of love to the whole country, by recreating Zico's dads' voice with AI so he could ask his son a special request: the 335th goal.

To make Mercado Livre stand out during Father's Day season, we decided to use a powerful asset of the brand: Flamengo's team sponsorship.

Zico is the greatest idol of Flamengo, the most popular football team in Brazil, with over 40 million supporters. He's considered one of the best players ever even by legends like Maradona and Pelé. He is also the all-time top scorer of Maracanã Stadium, the most iconic stadium in the country and Flamengo's home field, with 334 goals.

We contacted Zico, inviting him to participate in Mercado Livre's Father's Day campaign, only revealing that it would take place at Maracanã, nothing else.

He was really moved when he heard, by total surprise, the recreated voice of his father (as he stated later in interviews). That live aspect of the campaign helped us create a film with real emotion, which resonated with families all around Brazil.

To make Mercado Livre stand out during Father's Day season, we decided to use a powerful asset of the brand: Flamengo's team sponsorship.

When we heard Zico's story about his father never been able to see him score in person, we knew that it had the potential to reach a much broader audience than a specific team's supporters, and to differentiate the campaign from others happening in the period if it had the right emotional tone.

We contacted Zico, inviting him to participate in Mercado Livre's Father's Day campaign, only revealing that it would take place at Maracanã, nothing else.

He was really moved when he heard, by total surprise, the recreated voice of his father. That live aspect of the campaign helped us create a social film with real emotion, which resonated with families all around Brazil and massively shared on social media during the Father's Day period.

Even before partnering with Zico, we knew the idea had to be a surprise for him. So after checking his availability for a Father's Day campaign, we began talking, without him knowing, with his family through his manager, gathering all personal videos and interviews as possible to recreate Zico's father's voice digitally.

So we invited Zico to go at Maracanã to shoot the campaign. When he got there, we invited him to the field, where he listened to his dad's request on the stadium's speakers. 35 years after his father's passing, he recognized the voice immediately, and was really moved. We filmed everything and that live stunt became our Father's Day film.

Goal 335 was initially posted on Mercado Livre's Twitter profile, as well as Flamengo's, since it's the main platform people talk about football. The 1'55" film was shared on WhatsApp groups, and was forwarded massively.

Goal 335 had a massive reach nationwide (Brazil). The campaign was also shared organically by Flamengo supporters, football fans and even by people not engaged with the sport, throughout several social media, especially Whatsapp and Twitter.

#1 Twitter trending topic on Father's Day.

"Zico" became a trending topic. "Mercado Livre" too.

Mercado Livre's most shared content ever.

700% more engagement than average Mercado Livre content.

175% sales increase vs 2020 on Father's Day.

600% sales increase in Flamengo official store in Mercado Livre.

Zico Jersey #335 (created for the campaign by demand of the target) sold out in 3 days.