The Day Spa experience

I've always believed that brands should aspire to provide people with experiences that define what the brand is all about.  In some cases, like in categories with low emotional connection, that is not easy.  On the other hand, some companies do an awesome job in experiential marketing, providing moments that transcend the products they sell. 

Today I had a wonderful experience at São Paulo's Spa L'Occitane.  As a birthday gift, my wife gave me a gift certificate for a 5-hour day spa.  I enjoyed every moment, from time off from everything just to read in a quiet place... to my first facial... to a great back massage.  Every once in while, it's wonderful to spend time on yourself.

This was certainly an experience that will have a lasting effect on the already positive perception I have for the L'Occitane brand.

It makes me wonder what exeriences we should be providing with the brands my team and I manage here in Brazil?  

Rio... Cidade Maravilhosa

Congratulations Rio 2016!

The video produced by the Rio 2016 Olympic Committee captures the spirit of our... cidade maravilhosa...

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Disconnected in Paradise

My Family and I just got back from 3 days in Itacaré, a tropical paradise located on the southern coast of Bahia north of Ilhéus - Brazil's cocoa capital. Fortunately, we spent three magnificent days with no mobile phone (no coverage from the carrier I use), no BlackBerry, no TV... and I realize that this is exactly what time off is supposed to be. Disconnected.... and yet connected to what matters the most.

For those who want a tip on an absolutely stunning place to go for vacations: Txai Resort. Thousands of coconut trees, miles of pristine beaches, hiking trails through lush tropical vegetation hydrating ourselves with coconut water, and a spa at the end of a long day with a view you'll never forget.

What makes the resort even more special, is that they were awarded Sustainbale Resort 2009 by Brazil's best tourism publication 4 Rodas. Food is made with organic vegetables and fruits which they cultivate on the property and they support local organic argriculture. Excess production is sold at an organic farmer's market which they helped organize in Itacaré. The resort sells handicrafts from local vendors and they also run a number of socially-responsible programs focused on developing local communities. A cool example of their concern for the local community is the support the resort gave in starting up Bahia's first public Waldorf shool (providing building materials) located a few miles down the road. Our daughters loved the news that Txai also has their own sea turtle conservation program called 'Txaitaruga' (which is one more reason for us to go back since we're not in nesting season yet).

This is a video on how Txai is building a sustainable model...

This is a great reminder that Brazil has a tremendous opportunity to leverage its enormous tourism potential through an environmentally-friendly model similar to what happens in Costa Rica. We can't wait to go back.

These are a few photos I took...

Making it easier to add the benefits of fish in your diet

One of the challenges we face in our canned fish business is that housewives will say they want to add more fish in their families' diet but not always know simple recipes. Our Coqueiro marketing, with the help of São Paulo-based food consultancy SC, produced 10 videos with creative recipes made with tuna & sardine that will help people add the benefits of fish and more Omega-3 in their lives. At the end of each video, a list of all the ingredients needed for each dish.

It's fascinating to see how cooking, especially gourmet cooking, is becoming big in Brazil. From specialized magazines to radio programs to TV shows and gourmet festivals throughout the country. Maybe one day we will have our own version of the Food Network. Who knows.

Here's one example, 'Acarajé Coqueiro', from the wonderful cuisine from Bahia. You can find all videos at http://www.coqueiro.com.br.


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Role reversal

I've always believed that role reversals are great ways to see the world with different eyes.  Many years ago, I took part in a role reversal process with our advertising agency which was a wonderful experience.  

Last night, my wife and I went to a PTA meeting at our local Waldorf School.  Our second grade teacher surprised all the parents with a role reversal session.  Parents were asked to line up to go into the class and we spent two hours going through a class routine.  I loved the exeprience in many ways.  It was very engaging.  First, it made me feel closer to what our 7-year-old goes through.  As the teacher talked us through the learning objective of each exercise, I felt that the experience will certainly raise my awareness on how I can help our daughter learn even more. 

As a marketing professional, it made me think that there is so much we can learn if we get out of our ordinary role and temporarily live a completely different one.

Role reversal....  certainly a powerful concept in any innovation process.

Big News for Brazilian Business

I've always believed that emerging markets, like Brazil, India or China, will need to build strong global brands and not only become commodity powerhouses.  So, I was very happy to hear yesterday's announcement that JBS-Friboi (Brazil's beef giant which acquired Smithfield Beef last year and Swift & Co. back in 2007) just acquired Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride and merged with Betin - another Brazilian meat company - to form the World's largest meat producer. Big news for Brazilian business.

From a purely marketing standpoint, the question is...

Will JBS-Friboi be able to build a company with global brands that resonate emotionally with consumers aroung the globe?

Brands managed by Brazilian companies, many of them amazingly successful locally, haven't been that successful becoming truly global.  I'm curious to see if JBS-Friboi will change the game...

Brazil's first institutional campaign promoting fish

This is Brazil's first institutional campaign promoting the consumption of fish. Brazil has one of the World's largest coastlines (7491 km) and yet a low per cap consumption of fish - only 6.8kg/year versus a world average consumption of 15.6kg/year. The World Health Organization recommends the consumption of 12kg/year of fish. The campaign was created and produced by the Ministry of Fish and is part of a comprehensive plan called Fish Week that happens every year.

Within our PepsiCo Brazil portfolio we market a line of canned sardine and tuna products under the Coqueiro trademark. So, we're very happy to see this institutional effort.

The return of a snack classic

A lot has been wirtten about how retro is cool and how some . I'm a huge fan of the movement (probably why I bought a New Beetle when they first came out and why I drive a Mini Cooper today). Well, here at PepsiCo Brazil we're also riding the retro wave by bringing back a snack classic from the 80's and 90's: Doritos Original.

Since 2001, the only Doritos flavor sold in Brazil has been nacho cheese (in the famous red bag) and earlier this year we launched Sweet Chili as a limited edition (in a striking silver bag). Answering the call from hundreds of Brazilian fans who have posted that they want the return of Doritos Original, in the following days we're bringing back the classic tortilla chip that comes with just the great taste of yellow corn in its famous yellow bag. And to go in true retro style, we even decided to use the old classic Doritos logo from the 90's.

One of the fun things about social networking is that marketers can quickly identify and respond to consumer requests. We had tons of fun last year producing a 5kg bag for die-hard Doritos fans and now we have a chance of bringing back a classic from the past.

Videgame recreates the magic of the greatest band in history

Tomorrow's global release of "The Beatles: Rock Band" videgame for PlayStation3, Wii and XBox360 is a fantastic step forward in the mash-up between music experience, videogaming, documentary... revolutionizing the concept of home entertainment. This much anticipated release is a dream come true for music fans and gamers from around the world.

For those who don't have the game on their buy list, it's worth watching the Gametrailers review below.

New TV Campaign for Quaker On-the-go line in Brazil

The past 12 months have been very exciting for our Quaker oats business in Brazil. We launched a new campaing called Quaker - The Grain of Goodness and this year we started test-marketing an entire new line of convenient great-tasting on-the-go oat-based products called Quaker De Bolso (which translates as Quaker In-Your-Pocket). The line consists of oatmeal cookies, mini multi-grain cookies made with oats, quinoa, flax seed and wheat germ, as well as, a granola in a 'drinkable' format.

Both the brand campaign and the on-the-go line remind Brazilians that they can count on the power of oats in a whole new line of convenient products designed to fit a healthy lifestyle.

To support our new Quaker line, we just started airing a new TV campaing, created by our agency PeraltaStrawberryFrog. The message is very simple.... now you can carry the goodness of oats anywhere.

Video and magazine mash up

Wow!!! Pepsi in the U.S. has inserted a video in CBS's Entertainment Weekly Magainze...
Click here to read the news on the Wall Street Journal Speakeasy blog. 

Below a short YouTube link that shows how it works.  Amazing!

New campaign for Sensações Baked Potato Chips

This week-end, we will be airing two spots of a new campaign for Sensações® Ao Forno - Brazil's first baked potato chip brand.  The Sensações brand targets adults who are looking for healthier snacking options but still want great-tasting gourmet-style flavors.  

In this first spot, a guy who considers himself a connoisseur of fine cuisine, is delighted by the taste of Sensações new baked potato chip.  When his date describes the strong personality of the wine, a little misunderstanding comes up...

Here's the second spot...

Both spots end with voice over:  

"Sensações Baked potato chip for gourmets... both amateur and professional"

Hope you enjoy the campaign.

Listening to Andreas Weigend

Yesterday, I had the opportunity of listening to Andreas Weigend speak at an HSM event here in São Paulo. Andreas is a former Chief Scientist at Amazon.com. He now works as a consultant helping companies leverage the power of data to develop new business models.  He also teaches at Stanford and UC Berkeley.  Since I've always been a huge fan of Amazon - most likely the best e-commerce experience on the web - I was excited with the opportunity to listen to him.  Great speaker with thought-provoking concepts for any company wanting to take their digital strategies to the next level.  Among the examples of companies leveraging data to transform their business, I loved the case of Progressive which gives customers the option of using a wireless device in their car which tracks driving behavior.  The data collected generates a customized insurance rate based on how, how much and when the car is driven.

Click here to check out Andreas Weigend's blog.

I wish my schedule would allow me more time to spend time participating in events like the one I went to yesterday.  Time well spent.

Farewell to Le Paul (1915-2009)

This past week the world said farewell and paid tribute to Les Paul - the man who was the inventor of the solid body electric guitar and also pioneered a number of recording methods like the multitrack recording.  A true legend who influenced the world of rock in many ways.  In the 1950's, the legendary Gibson Les Paul was born, designed by Ted McCarty in collaboraton with Les Paul.  A guitar icon that is part of the fabric of modern rock.

Click here to see a photo gallery of Les Paul published by the Los Angeles Times.

Every Wednesday night, I have guitar lessons with Dante Castanho and the experience has been extremely rewarding.  Music has an amazing ability to take you away from your day-to-day and transport you to different places and times.  I'm having a great time.

Wash your hands please

I love seeing how some companies are fast to identify a cultural movement and quickly transform an opportunity into a business proposition.  

With growing public awareness and concern around swine flu, it's amazing to see the proliferation of hand sanitizing units.  For the past few weeks I've been seeing them all over.  Only today, I saw one in a parking garage, next to the elevator in my office building and coming out of our cafeteria.

For marketers it's a reminder of how any cultural manifestation creates opportunities for new products, services or the comeback of an old idea.

Revolutionary water purification bottle

Watch on TED video with Michael Prichard demonstrating a truly revolutionary water purification bottle called Lifesaver.  Click here to watch.

More on this innovation, click here.

The carelessness of digital photography

As much as I love my new digital Canon and my iPhoto albums, there's one thing I miss from the days of film photography.  When you put a Kodachrome film in your camera, you knew you were rather limited to 36 photos which made you value every single shot.  There were two costs elements associated to amateaur phtography:  the price of the film and the price of developing. That forced you to be more attentive, selecting the right angle, the right moment, the right aperture, the right shutter speed, right lighting.... before the click.

Today, the limitless notion of digital has created a generation of careless photographers who don't value the end result because they can take hundreds of shots and easily delete whatever they don't like.  You can see this at any school function.  Click... click... click... click. 

Yes, technology has brought us amazing rewards for those who love photography like me.   Immediately being able to share a special moment with a friend on another continent is priceless. What we shouldn't allow happen is become careless when it comes to photography just because we can shoot thousands of photos and not be worried about the cost at the local photo shop.

No more vanilla, strawberry or chocolate

What happens with those who market mass consumer products where it's more difficult to provide consumers with true customization?  It seems like expanding choice and inviting your die-hard fans to collaborate on what's next is picking up momentum. 

Two cool projects that I absolutely love...

Take a look at what Mountain Dew did last month....

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Walkers - UK's top-selling potato chips - also ran an amazing promotional campaign this year called "Do Us A Flavor" inviting British consumers to create a movement in favor of their favorite flavor.

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It seems like the days of "we only have vanilla, chocolate or strawberry" are over. It was about time.

Customizing my Mini

Just got back from the Mini Cooper dealership here in Sao Paulo.  The Mini Cooper S I ordered has finally arrived (after a dreadful wait).   My 7-year old daughter and I had loads of fun at the Mini Lounge selecting the accessories to make it my Mini.... bonnet stripes, checkered-flag mirror caps, 17" web spoke alloy tires.  

Customization is a beautiful and powerful marketing concept.  

As a consumer, the design-your-own movement is an empowering experience.  Consumers feel special, unique, differentiated, which ultimately builds a greater affinity for the brand.   

"No More Awkward Turns"... brilliant!

On my flight back from NY last night, I saw this wonderful print ad for the Dyson Ball vacuum cleaner.  When a new product has a truly revolutionary design, it makes the work of advertising so simple and powerful...

More augmented reality applications

After our Doritos augmented reality case in Brazil, I received e-mails from friends with other real cool applications using the same technology.

James Maul, from Joinville, sent me the story of this new iPhone application from Acrossair - a service that helps people locate subway lines in New York and San Francisco...

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My friend Stuart Meyler told me about a Japanese company called Tonchidot that developed an amazing social augmented reality mobile location-based service called Sekai Camera. The application merges the virtual and real world by using a digital device as a viewfinder. Take a look at a video presented at TechCrunch...

A Movement to save the neighborhood café

One of the best stories I heard last week was about how neighbors got together to save a Brooklyn café from bankruptcy.  The café, called Vox Pop, is not an ordinary coffee shop but a place where people are motivated to express their opinions, have a latte, read a community paper or listen to live music.

Click here to listen to the CNN story...

It's fascinating to see how tough times opens the doors to new ideas... including a bit of communal capitalism.

Appreciation for eating local

This week, my Family and I are spending vacation in Connecticut (which is why I have been less active with my blogging).  It's great to see how the community supportive agriculture and the local food movement is growing and becoming mainstream.  The other night we had dinner at The Dressing Room, an absolutely magnificent restaurant that they position as 'homegrown', located next to the Newport Playhouse.  All ingredients used are from local farms and producers.

 

The next day, we went to The Hickories Farm in Ridgefield for blueberry picking. For our daughters, it's wonderful that they can pick fruits, take them home and help mom bake a pie.  It helps them have a greater appreciation for how things go from farm to table.

At Whole Foods, there are banners throughout the store showcasing some of their local suppliers  signed "food from around here".

It's clear that there is a growing segment of the population who love the idea of eating local food. People who are interested in supporting their local farmers and communities.  People who are looking for the simple tastes and aromas of more natural and organic eating.... close to home. Wasn't this how our grandparents used to do?  

It will be interesting to see how food marketers will leverage this trend at a broader scale.

What's in the head of Brazilian Millenials? And how this inspired us to develop a new potato chip

We start the month of July airing our new Ruffles TV campaign to launch a limited edition called Ruffles Do Seu Jeito ('your way'). Two new flavors developed with the input from our online collaboration panel. There's a guy version: BBQ Ribs. And one for girls: cream cheese.

For those who don't know Portuguese, the first spot starts saying that we got into the head of girls to find out what they like in order to develop a new flavor for Ruffles. Well, they like guys, shoes, guys, shoes... and to kiss (which in Portuguese rimes with cheese). So, the joke is that that's what inspired us to launch a cream cheese-flavored potato chip for girls.

When it comes to the guys, it's pretty much single-minded: girls, girls, girls. In this case, the joke is that girls came from ribs, which inspired us to make a BBQ Rib-flavored potato chip.

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The campaign was created by AlmapBBDO.

Promoting Innovation Challenge Brasil 2009

Quick video to promote PepsiCo's sponsorship of the Innovation Challenge Brasil 2009 coordinated by Insper - one of Brazil's most prestigious business schools. We're excited to see creative ideas from students from around the country on how to grow the Brazilian salty snacks category. The competition starts in the following weeks.

Cool backpacks made of waste

For the past 6 months, I have been personally involved in a very cool sustainability project that was finally launched. Here at PepsiCo Brazil, we are converting waste from potato chip bags into backpacks and messenger bags.

In association with TerraCycle, we're replicating in Brazil the upcycling model that has been working in the U.S. market for a years. The project serves both an environmental purpose removing tons of packaging waste from landfills, as well as, a social cause since revenues support 250 families in low-income communities who produce the items.

This is how it works...

TerraCycle is partnering with waste management cooperatives to collect our snack bags. Bags are fused into fabric which is then sent to Solidarium...

Solidarium coordinates the production of the backpacks which is carried out in low-income communities of Curitiba...

The items are then shippped to our first customer: Wal*Mart Brazil...

... and merchandised in an exclusive display that combines chip bags with the upcycled items.

One of the things I love about this project is that it is the result of true collaboration. Tom Szaky and Richard Perl from TerraCycle in New Jersey providing us with their amazing experience from the North-American market, Tiago Dalvi from Solidarium who brings their experience with social work, Wal*Mart who supported us since the beginning of the project, the Future Group who developed the in-store presence, Claudia Pires - the marketing manager who is working with me on the project and shares the same passion I have for sustainability - and Sergio Julio and Camila Feola from the R&D Team who are the packaging experts.

Another example of the power of collaboration. All of us working together with a dream of building a sustainable upcycling model for snack bags in Brazil.... with a nice social story behind it. 

Fun project.

Innovation Challenge Brazil

As you probably know by now through this blog, I truly believe marketers can benefit from a more collaborative approach to innovation. So, when Insper - one of Brazil's leading business schools - told us that they were bringing the Innovation Challenge to Brazil, we immediately decided to become one of the corporate sponsors.

Innovation Challenge is the world's largest competition involving MBA students who compete to present innovation ideas to sponsoring companies. Each company posts a specific challenge and students from around the country team up to generate innovative solutions that meet the brief. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to work on real case studies and companies have the opportunity of interacting with the next generation of leaders who will certainly bring a fresh perspective to their business models.

For two weeks, teams from different parts of Brazil will research, discuss and prepare their business plans. Submissions will be evaluated by a specialist panel leading to a final presentation on the Isper campus.

This initiative reinforces our commitment here at PepsiCo Brazil to support a more inclusive collaborative innovation process that started over a year ago with an online panel we have with 40 college students helping us with our brands targeting millenials.

Can't wait to see the results.

Selling apartments through Twitter

This week Tecnisa - a local construction company - sold its first apartment through Twitter.  

This is not an ordinary construction company, Tecnisa has built an amazing reputation as a business that gets digital like no one else in the marketplace.  They were the first Brazilian company to launch a corporate blog, they send podcasts to buyers using engineers explaining each phase of the construction and they have a solid track record of online sales.  Many people who are in the market to buy condos have been following Tecnisa on Twitter.   The news this week is that a man took advantage of a promotion announced through Twitter and purchased a R$500,000 / US$250,000 apartment, the one you see below.

The mastermind behind Tecnisa's digital strategy is Romeo Bussarello, a charismatic high-intensity marketing talent I have known for years.  

He's always a step ahead of the competition and you never quite know what he's up to next.  While so many of us marketers are figuring out how to better connect through social networks, this guy is making it happen.  

Great story.

More on Doritos' augmented reality

Cool site Contagiousmagazine.com featured a story today on our Doritos® Sweet Chili 

augmented reality story...