SITUATIONBrazil will host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. In spite of this, São Paulo, the largest city in Latin America, doesn´t give sport a high priority. Workaholic way of life and lack of infrastructure prevent people from doing sports. However, the city does need to embrace the Olympic spirit. In this context, we find the greatest public event of sports and recreation in the world: The “Virada Esportiva”.CHALLENGEGet people to use public spaces for sports activities.AIMInvolve people for a weekend in a 36h public event, non-stop and free.STRATEGYTo guarantee the event's success, the city hall needed to be able to reach, at the same time, the opinion leaders and the underserved communities. A big range of communication tools had to be used. The main national media, community radio stations and local newspapers, as well as small media vehicles with great reach in the underserved communities were used with the support of the community leaders.RESULTS3.7 million peopleFront page on national newspapersSeven cultural guides6h11 of related content (national TV and radio)513 media insertions US$ 12,823,627.00 in media

ANTICIPATIONSpecial T-Shirts were distributed with the statement "The Virada Esportiva is Coming", to awaken curiosity and draw attention to the event.PREPARATIONSpace was taken up in all media, from the local newspapers, radio stations, events guides, cultural sections of national newspapers.Ensure event was visible to all news broadcasting departments. The Secretary for Sports visited several different media, to raise the importance of sporting activities. Main television stations opened slots on their daily schedules for the event pre-coverage.Journalists were invited to participate in karting activities through the city’s streets at night.ON THE DAY OF THE EVENTLive appearances were planned, on both television and radio.A communication team is scattered around the most active people hot-spots.The spokesperson actively participated in the 36 hours of the event, acting as a stimulus for the population and vehicles of communication.

In 2010 the Virada Esportiva gathered 3.7 million people during 36 hours of activities. In the first edition, which was held back 2007, there were a million participants. If we consider the four editions combined, then we see that 10 million people have participated in the Virada Esportiva over the four years.The Virada Esportiva has gained national visibility on television, and through the appearance in all media channels, including 513 insertions unprompted media, we have created news that has generated US$ 12,823,627.00 in spontaneous media.The Virada Esportiva has led the city to live and breathe sports - more than 40,000 cyclists take to the streets on Sundays.In the municipal clubs, the demand for children’s sports has soared from 40,000 to 70,000 within four years.A free circuit of street races has been set up, which now involves more than 50,000 people.