Mercado Livre's quick reaction after the events demonstrates the power of taking a stand on social issues, as it generated a positive impact on society while differentiating the brand. By acting quickly and offering a 99% discount on the book, the brand sent a powerful message about the value of democracy, resulting in record-breaking book sales and significant media coverage. The success of the campaign also highlights the importance of understanding the cultural and political context in which a brand operates. In Brazil's politically polarized moment, Mercado Livre's strategy resonate with consumers, demonstrating the brand's commitment to progress and freedom.

On the morning of January 8, 2023, Brazil watched in shock as scenes on TV showed a group of far-right protesters, dissatisfied with the election results, invading the National Congress, vandalizing public property, and threatening a military coup. The images went viral. In the most famous of them, a hooded man raised the original Brazilian Federal Constitution as a trophy, stolen from the presidential office. The most important document of the nation, responsible for safeguarding its freedom and democracy.

Mercado Livre is the country's largest e-commerce company, with progress and freedom as its core values. It decided to make its position clear, even when all other brands preferred to remain silent.

During Brazil's politically polarized election, leading e-commerce platform Mercado Livre faced the challenge of taking a stand on a sensitive political issue while maintaining its reputation. The recent invasion of the National Congress by far-right protesters threatened the nation's democracy, and Mercado Livre wanted to demonstrate its commitment to core values of progress and freedom while differentiating itself from competitors who remained silent. The brand's objective was to respond to the crisis creatively and generate positive sentiment among consumers by promoting the importance of democracy and the federal constitution. The campaign's success was measured in terms of media coverage, social media engagement, positive comments, and record-breaking book sales. Mercado Livre's bold move paid off by making a strong statement and resonating with its audience, who valued the brand's stance on democracy.

Mercado Livre addressed the challenge of responding to Brazil's political crisis while maintaining its brand essence. The company monitored social media to gauge consumer sentiment towards democracy and polarization in real-time. This led to the breakthrough idea of offering a 99% discount on the constitution to make it more accessible to consumers. While internal challenges included potential backlash from taking a political stance, external challenges included navigating Brazil's sensitive political climate. Mercado Livre overcame these challenges by remaining true to its core values of progress, freedom and acting quickly.

The brand's use of research and data led to an innovative strategy that generated unprecedented visibility and engagement. The attention-grabbing promotion differentiated Mercado Livre from competitors and demonstrated the brand's commitment to society. The company's successful response to the political crisis was a result of its creative use of data and swift decision-making.

A few hours after the episode that shocked the country, Mercado Livre decided to take a bombastic stand: it launched a flash promotion that gave 99% off on all existing editions of the federal constitution available in its inventory. And so, by making the book that anti-democratic acts attempted to destroy more accessible, no Brazilian would ever forget the value of democracy again.

The creative strategy had a significant impact on the client's business and brand perception. The 99% discount on the federal constitution generated record-breaking book sales and unprecedented visibility and engagement for the brand. The campaign resulted in positive sentiment among consumers, with many praising the brand for taking a stand on a sensitive political issue.

The strategy also had a broader impact on the industry and culture. It demonstrated that taking a stand on social issues can be a powerful way to differentiate a brand and generate positive sentiment among consumers. The campaign received significant media coverage, with many news outlets reporting on the creative and impactful promotion. It also sparked conversation and debate about the importance of democracy in Brazil, contributing to a broader cultural discussion.

Brazil is one of the largest democracies in the world but is currently experiencing its most politically polarized moment. The country recently lived through the terror of a military dictatorship for 21 years, having more than 400 people disappeared. And never since its redemocratization has Brazil come so close to a new military coup as on January 8th. Throughout the day, the country was stunned by the scenes on TV. Despite traditionally not liking to get involved in complicated political issues, this episode reached all Brazilians, making history in the country.

The invasion of Congress was a result of a growing political polarization that had been dividing the country for years. The current president defeated the extreme-right candidate (Jair Bolsonaro) by only 1% of valid votes. And because the country is so divided, most brands are afraid to take sides, even when one of them violates democratic principles.