Atura o Baile was a response from Budweiser Brazil during the FIFA World Cup against the prejudice of European journalists and fans who criticize the way Brazilian players celebrate goals by dancing. Instead of responding to the criticism with insults, we encouraged Brazilians to respond by dancing. The campaign featured a funk remix of Budweiser's global music and a video clip with over 37 million views, which became a movement with thousands of Brazilians using #AturaOBaile to respond to the critics. The more intolerance, the more Brazilians danced, resulting in 105.7 million views on the hashtag on TikTok.

Weeks before the FIFA World Cup began, black Brazilian players were called monkeys and sent away from Europe by European journalists and fans just for celebrating their goals by dancing. As the official sponsor of the World Cup, Budweiser Brazil needed to go beyond launching a campaign for the event. It needed to launch a movement to respond to these criticisms with something that is part of the essence of every Brazilian: dance, encouraging thousands of Brazilians to do the same.

With the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Budweiser Brazil created a movement with a powerful statement: whoever wants Brazilian players to stop dancing, will have to endure the party.

The movement needed to make every Brazilian respond to the criticism of European journalists and fans with what is part of their essence: dance.

In partnership with Kondzilla - one of the largest music channels on YouTube - Budweiser Brazil created a funk remix of the Budweiser music and released it along with a video clip showcasing the boldness, aesthetics, and Easter eggs, inviting the entire country to dance during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The movement took over the internet. And as more criticism arose during the event from European journalists and fans, thousands of Brazilians used the hashtag #AturaObaile to respond to these criticisms with dance, making the hashtag go viral throughout the country.

Just a few weeks before the start of the 2022 World Cup, the world turned against something that is part of Brazilian culture: dance. Brazilian players were criticized in Europe for dancing after scoring goals in European championships. The criticism quickly turned into excuses for opposing journalists and fans to call the players monkeys, exposing the racism that every Brazilian player has faced in Europe. As the official sponsor of the World Cup, Budweiser Brazil needed to do something to send a clear and direct message to silence these critics. And what would be the best response to all this hatred against Brazilian dances? Dance even more.

The movement started before the FIFA World Cup even began. In partnership with Kondzilla, one of the biggest music channels on YouTube, Budweiser Brazil released a funk remix of Budweiser's global music as a statement, inviting Brazilians to dance in response to the criticisms from European journalists and fans.The music video was launched during the week of Brazil's first match in the World Cup. Full of Brazilian aesthetics, Easter eggs, and plenty of dancing, it inspired 230 million Brazilians to dance even more during the World Cup.Quickly, the hashtag #AturaOBaile became a response message, used by thousands of anonymous Brazilians, artists, and influencers, responding to criticisms with dance. Even Brazil's number 10 and biggest star, Neymar Jr., did the dance as a protest.Atura o Baile went viral on social media and beyond, becoming part of the conversation and a message for fans to speak out against intolerance, racism, and xenophobia.

The result shows the power of the movement calling on all Brazilians to dance. On TikTok alone, there were over 105.7 million views on the hashtag #AturaOBaile, with Brazilians responding to the criticism by dancing. The movement went viral, obtaining 1.3 billion impressions and 7.2 million US dollars in earned media in Brazil. The music video obtained an incredible 37 million views in one month, contributing to Budweiser being the most mentioned brand of the FIFA World Cup. There were thousands of user-generated contents, Brazilian football clubs, artists, and influencers using #AturaOBaile to respond to the criticisms of European journalists and fans. Atura o Baile went viral, becoming a necessary message not only for achieving highly relevant results but also for giving voice to an entire nation indignant and tired of suffering the same prejudice just for wanting to express their culture: dance.

Dancing for Brazilians is different from dancing for any European country. Dance is part of our essence and our origin. As a mixed-race country inspired by diverse cultures, Brazilian dance is what connects this rich cultural influence. We dance for everything, and most importantly, to celebrate. Whether on or off the field, dancing for Brazilian players is not disrespect, it's joy. It's celebrating a victory after a goal. It's reconnecting with our origins and ancestors. It's having fun. This is associated with how Brazilians view football as entertainment, not just a profession or a serious sport. And that's how Brazil became the most successful country in the history of world football. From Pelé to Neymar, joy and dance have always been part of our way of playing football.

Brazilians have a deep relationship with dance. It is part of our origins, as we are a mixed people coming from various places around the world. Dance is our way of exalting our way of life and seeing the world. Dancing is never disrespectful. Dancing is our origin, our skin, our soul. And in football, it's no different. We use dance in football to celebrate our victories, whether they are a goal or a title. Dancing for Brazilians is about having fun. It's about celebrating. And it's a part of our football. And it was this essence that made Brazil the only five-time world champion in football.