Kammy makes his final selection for Rio

As the Premier League closes its doors for another season the footballing world’s attention is now turning to Rio.  For the next few months the epicentre of World Football is going to be firmly planted in Brazil. It's clear that this was on the minds of the 20 teams of keen 5-a-side players who turned up bright and early for the Strongbow Rio trial day, which was held at the London Soccer Dome.

After already getting through several stages of selection, each team invited to the day went up against each other during a series of challenges designed to test personality, teamwork, and football skills. Under the watchful eye of our celebrity coaching staff: Chris Kamara, Mark Wright and Janio Cruz, only one team prevailed, winning the trip of a lifetime to Rio to take on one of the best female football teams in the world. 

The content which launches today shows what happened during the trial day and reveals the winning team – do you think they have what it takes to beat the girls?

The winning team will be joined by 3 subs who were selected via social voting. You can see the full team all meet and fly to Rio for the match of a lifetime on the 2nd June, when the final content will be released.

Moments of Truth - New Strongbow Work!

Last night, after the England V Brazil match, was the grand debut of our latest Strongbow advert. The 60s spot is entitled 'Moments of Truth' and encounters blokes in a variety of nerve-wracking situations, showing how fear distorts their reality in each of the scenarios. However, they all triumph, smashing it as they step up and face their fears! From the best man's speech, to the nail-biting penalty shoot out, these characters embody the Strongbow brand which rewards the man who gets the job done.

Beautifully directed by Sam Brown, with the undeniably epic O Fortuna (Carmina Burana) as its soundtrack, the tension is palpable throughout the spot, yet exaggerated facial expressions and comedy moments provide some relief - keeping the suspense but making the ad more entertaining!

This spot is the spearhead of the 2013 'Earn It' campaign which involves a range of Strongbow challenges that men can apply to participate in - if they think they're up to it! The first challenge is looking for fellas to step up to take a ball from top cricket fast bowler Jimmy Anderson.

The ad has received coverage in Campaign magazine and Brand Republic amongst others, but the most overwhelming thing was the amount of Tweets registered after the spot went out. We briefly trended worldwide, and were 8th in the UK! Tweeters really got involved and loved the ad - some even calling it their ad of the year so far. We're all very proud of it, and I for one feel it was definitely worth sitting through a pretty dull football match to see!

If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Click the image below, and let us know what you think!

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!