Cannes Lions

The Uniform that never existed

DM9, Sao Paulo / CENTAURO / 2022

Presentation Image
Supporting Content
Case Film

Overview

Entries

Credits

Overview

Background

Centauro is the largest sports retailer in Latin America and its purpose is to transform lives through sports. However, even though it has the best brands as partners, it was not an official sponsor of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and wanted to gain media attention at such a disputed moment among sponsors.

In the Tokyo 64 Olympics, Aída dos Santos achieved the best result by a Brazilian athlete for more than 30 years, but she competed without any support from Brazil and not even a uniform. So our goal was to make the brand's purpose tangible, by ending the Olympic cycle from Tokyo to Tokyo. We are contributing to give Aída's story a new ending, and with the donation of the proceeds from the sale of the uniform, we are giving a new beginning to the stories of underprivileged women of the new generations.

Idea

We researched Brazilian Olympic stories and found an exception in Aída dos Santos' achievement. The athlete's uniform is an instrument of representation of its origins and nationality. Aída is a black and peripheral woman who competed in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games without a uniform, proof of the inequality of genders and races in sports and in society. Unfortunately, what happened to Aída still happens in Brazil, whether professional athletes or young people who see in sport the opportunity of a better life. We created a uniform with the symbols of Aída dos Santos' struggle, to be an icon of the change we want to see in the country and to inspire new generations of women.

Strategy

Our insight is that we cannot change the Past, but we can help change the Future. The story of Aída dos Santos repeats itself even today in Brazil, and our main message is that reward always comes to those who don't give up on their dreams, even for a woman, black and poor in Brazil in the 60's.

Centauro's public is quite varied, since we are talking about sports lovers and practitioners of physical activities, who do not necessarily fit into a single demographic profile.

Therefore, we presented Aída with her first uniform in an event shown on Brazil's main sports TV show and sent uniforms to some of the most prestigious influencers of sports and social causes, who spontaneously posted and amplified the reach of the story.

Execution

We delivered the first uniform to Aída in the stadium of the club where she used to train, captured her emotion, and turned it into a film. First, we did Branded Content in the most popular sports program in Brazil, Globo Esporte, where we launched the film and the landing page, and sold out the limited edition in minutes.

Then came a campaign in Centauro's social media telling the story of Aída and the conception of the uniform. Then we sent the uniform to black influencers with an active voice in equality causes, they embraced the cause and spontaneously posted it on their social networks. The brand's largest store received a special window display and a mannequin, and as in all communication channels, we directed shoppers to the landing page, where they could learn the story in detail and buy the uniform.

Outcome

The brand did not have a quantitative sales or traffic generation goal. But in 40 years of existence, it had never had a campaign of such scope.

Main goals:

- Generate awareness for the brand in a qualified and truthful way during the Games.

- Gain media attention during the Olympic period, even without being an official sponsor.

- Build the brand's reputation to make its mission tangible: to transform through sports.

- Create a brand connection with Olympics lovers.

Key results:

- 1.4 billion people reached through organic media.

- US$ 400 K in earned media: proves the power of the story that managed to gain media attention during the Olympic moment, even without the brand being an official sponsor of the Olympics.

- 14+ million views on the campaign launch film.

- Sold out the uniform on the launch day.

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