Is advertising one big Carnival?

The IPA knew just what we needed on a bitterly cold, grey and windy Monday evening in London; to be transported to the 6th largest, and arguably most colourful economy in the world - Brazil.

Freshly made caipirinha in hand, we relaxed and listened intently to Creative Pioneers delegates recount the experiences from their trip, which formed part of the Olympic handover from London 2012 to Rio 2016. The aim was to share knowledge and experiences of the crucial role of advertising during our Olympics – from sponsorship, to marketing, funding and public engagement. Our work for the GLA formed part of the creative showcase of work from 2012 that was shared with the Brazilians but sadly, none of us were fortunate enough to go on the trip.

The lucky delegates, headed up by Nicola Mendelsohn (Chair of the IPA and Karmarama) shared some fascinating and enlightening facts about the state of the market in Brazil, agencies over there and future opportunities for joint ventures – especially in tech startups.

Some of the standout stats included how 40 million Brazilians have become middle class in the past 10 years, thanks to booming business, credit growth and the massive increase in minimum wage – 70% in real terms!

 Technology is booming too, with 94% of Brazilians connected to the internet, especially on mobile devices. Combined with the improving availability and quality of education, their appreciation of culture is growing as well. This all helps to form a fantastic consumer demographic for brands and advertisers, making advertising an industry definitely worth keeping an eye on.

The main drawback, and quite a large one at that, is the absence of a strong infrastructure. Too many cars and people. Not enough roads, airports or power. One thing is for sure, the upcoming World Cup in 2014 will be a big test to see whether the country and its star city Rio are on track to host a successful Olympics. 

Passion and enthusiasm are present in bucket loads, but the infrastructure will have to follow suit, and we’ll all be watching!