Black Coaches Program remembered everyone what sports are really about: change people lives. Brazil has the largest black population outside Africa, but 95% of white coaches. We hijacked one of Brazil’s most watched moments, the World Cup National team call up, to take a stand against racism. A spot featuring Vini Jr, Brazil most valuable player and social media star, shifted the conversation in all major sports channels from drafted players to drafted black coaches. Everybody talked about racism instead of soccer. The campaign had around 20 million in earned media and Telefonica Vivo engaged 7x more than other sponsors.

Telefonica Vivo is a brand deeply concerned with diversity. In addition to corporate initiatives, brand campaigns aim to improve this scenario. Brazil is the country of football. But also, the country with the largest black population outside Africa (119 million people). In Brazilian football there's a statistical anomaly: most of our players are black, but 95% of our coaches are white. As Brazil’s national team sponsor, Vivo knew that this was a relevant asset that could send a strong message against racism to the brand's audience and whoever wanted to listen. The brand's request was to use one of its ambassadors, Vini Jr, considering that for the first time the World Cup would start right after the Black Consciousness month. Vivo wanted to be once again recognized as a brand that supports diversity and, more than that, recognized as a brand that effectively do something beyond the speech.

Telefonica Vivo is Brazil’s national team official sponsor alongside twenty other brands. All these twenty other sponsors aired commercials filled with optimism and enthusiasm on a very important event: Brazil’s National team draft. The day 20 million Brazilians stopped to watch national TV. To stand out, we decided to make a stand. Although Brazil has the biggest black population outside of Africa, 95% of our coaches are white. Right in the commercial break after Brazil’s white coach drafted a squad formed by 70% of black players, Telefonica Vivo took all the draft’s buzz by storm with a second draft on national TV featuring Vini Jr drafting aspiring black coaches. The idea quickly became an agenda for TV sports programs. In addition, the spot was posted on Telefonica Vivo and Vini Jr social media profiles, spreading the discussion even more.

Since 95% of coaches in Brazil are white, we created a program to accelerate the career of black coaches. We selected aspiring black coaches of minor leagues to join the prestigious CBF's Coaching Academy, so they could study advanced tactics with the best and to get FIFA's official licenses. In the day Brazil's white coach drafted the squad that would represent Brazil in the World Cup, we aired a tv spot with Real Madrid's superstar Vini Jr drafting 6 black coaches to join the program. We changed the game by changing its colors.

We create the Black Coaches Program partnering up with Vivo and to change an unfair scenario on football that is replicated on other fields: black people are not considered to manager or specialist positions. We selected aspiring black coaches of minor leagues to join the CBF Academy with the help of Observatory of Racial Discrimination in Football. We announced it on the most anticipated event of the year: Brazil's national team World Cup draft. Just after our white coach announced the players, we aired a spot with Vini Jr, Brazil's top player. Famous for being an icon of the antiracist fight, Vini drafted black coaches to join the program during the commercial. The perfect media solution: a coach’s draft after the player’s draft. Also, Vini Jr posted it to his million followers on social media. The first time a black player drafted black coaches to change their lives.

The results were outstanding. The project became news across sports program in national TV, an equivalent of a 20million investment. We’ve engaged 7x more people than the other sponsors. After we started this movement, the biggest club in Brazil hired a black coach and the first class of the Black Coaches program is ready to manage any team, anywhere. Vivo Telefonica shown once again a strong message against racism and in favor of diversity which contributed to increase the brand’s health and positive awareness. The brand kept its position as one of the brands most associated with diversity.

Racism is still far from being eradicated in Brazil, and in the world. But in recent years, the number of racist attacks on athletes is increasing. Vini Jr, one of the greatest players in the world, is often the target of these attacks. He represents many other players and people who go through this situation. Another form of racism is not recognizing the intellectual talent of black people. In Brazil, even with the second largest black population outside Africa, 95% of technicians are white. A clear legacy of the last country that abolished slavery. Using Vini Jr to draft black coaches and provide tools for them to change their careers and inspire future generations is a relevant action with an impact in the short, medium, and long term. More than earned media results, the most important result was starting to change a situation that should never existed.