Brit boys take on Brazilian girls in The Strongbow Rio Challenge

In every football match, be it a World Cup final or a Sunday league wooden spoon playoff there is a form sheet of some sort. Something that helps the fans pick a favorite based on recent form, the history of the club or star players.

So this summer, we’re asking Strongbow fans to pick between teams of a different kind: amateur Brit boys vs pro Brazilian girls – who has what it takes to win.

We know the boys team HMNB Portsmouth are good at their game, as they came out top in our Strongbow Rio Challenge trial day but how would they fare taking on one of the best female Brazilian teams: Vasco, in their home country?  With players who previously competed in World Cup and Olympic games, the girls certainly had the skill and footballing finesse but would the power and strength of the boys overrule?

The boys team, made up of the five players from HMNB Portsmouth and three subs as voted for by social media, all flew out to Rio in May to face a grueling training schedule ahead of the final challenge. To give these enthusiastic amateurs a chance against some of Brazil’s finest, they where put through their paces on the girl’s home sand by their coaching team, Chris Kamara and Janio Cruz. Their training covered all areas of the game including a tour of the favelas to understand how some of the world’s greatest players built up the physiological strength needed to reach the peak of their game.

Once training was complete, the final challenge showdown took place when the boys took on the ladies team against the backdrop of Rio’s iconic skyline. Could the boys live up to their talk? Did these amateurs have what it takes to beat a pro women’s team? Watch their full story on: youtube.com/strongbow where you can watch all the content in this St Luke’s led campaign.

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.

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!