Brahma beer
AB InBev / Ambev
Issue 61 | January 2022
Agency
Africa
Creative Team
Chief Creative Officer Sergio Gordilho Executive Creative Director Matias Menendez Creative Directors Marcelo Bruzzesi, Alexandre Giampaoli, Pedro Reis Creative Team Joao Corazza, Julia Malavazzi, Bruno Reis Designer Raphael Santos
Production Team
Agency Producers Rodrigo Ferrari, Tais Olhiara, Ian Inglez Production Company Seiva
Other Credits
COO Carolina Boccia Client Services Team Heloisa Pupim, Rafael Marques, Vivianne Santos, Amanda Maia, Luiza Lima Media Team Aga Porada, Luciana Prado, Victor Berto, Caroline Richa, Samuel Teles, Amanda Santana, Bruno Gregorut Planning Aldo Pini, Quentin Mahe, Mariana Crepaldi, John Oliveira Client Client Team Gustavo de Castro, Cinthia Klumpp Magalhaes, Mariana Santos, Marina Raats
Date
October 2021
Background
Brahma beer had always been part of Brazilian football but beer brands had been banned by law from sponsoring players’ shirts. Brahma wanted to stay a part of football culture but how?
Idea
What else are Brazilian footballers known for, apart from their feet? Their hair.
The Foamy Haircut was a style that imitated all the smoothness of a glass full of Brahma: the foam on top and the golden liquid at the bottom.
Reinaldo, from São Paulo Futebol Clube and one of the country’s most famous players, arrived on match-day with Bahia wearing the Foamy Haircut. Straight away, social media began to reverberate.
The next day, the campaign’s film was launched and Brahma’s Foamy Haircut became a trending topic. More influencers beyond football got involved: artists, reality participants, singers. At the same time, an Instagram filter was also launched so Brazilians could try it before getting it.
Results
The Foamy Haircut was a huge success.
During the campaign, Brahma became a trending topic on Twitter four times breaking the record for most mentions of the brand in social media (264,288 mentions). As far away as Europe and the US, players appeared with The Foamy Haircut including at the UEFA Super Cup’s final, generating spontaneous media attention abroad.
Our Thoughts
Actually, hair as an advertising medium isn’t new. In 2007, betting firm Paddy Power got the Fiji rugby team to dye their hair green and a haircare brand in Thailand launched with QR codes shaved into the back of people’s heads.
If Brahma had their name written across the players’ fronts, no-one would have noticed. But doing something pleasantly bonkers like this did more for them than traditional sponsorship.
In the UK, it would give a new meaning to the phrase, ‘I’ll have a lager-top please’.