Ideas That Spread

Next week, Jaboticaba Publishing House will be launching the book "Ideias Que Espalham / Ideas That Spread", a collaborative effort that brought together 12 Brazilian thinkers around a common theme.

The idea was inspired by Seth Godin's "The Big Moo", suggested a year ago by Alexandre Peralta - head of StrawberryFrog Brazil - inviting some interesting people with different professional backgrounds to write a chapter on their experiences of creating ideas that spread... ideas that eventually became part of a cultural movement.

The list of collaborators include the Campana Brothers - Brazil's coolest product designers, Heitor Dhaila - one of Brazil's most successful film directors and screenwriters - João Batista Chiaco - head of marketing at Fiat Brazil and one of the country's most award-winning professionals and Adam Morgan - the intellectual genius behind EatBigFish - just to name a few.

I took part in the project writing one of the chapters, which was a new yet daunting experience for me. More on the book next week...

Nobody's Backyard

Following a tradition of great news coverage on Latin America, The Economist Sept.11 edition is a must-read.

After the fantastic Nov.'09 cover "Brazil Takes Off" with the image of Rio's Christ The Redeemer taking off into the future, this month's special 14-page edition has an upside map of the region with the great headline "Nobody's Backyard - The Rise of Latin America".

Talking apps

Two days ago, I sat down to talk to a friend who I hadn't seen in a few months (something I need to do more of). This guy is the wired type that knows it all and is always a pleasure to talk to. It's funny how, a few years ago we would have talked about what's hot in São Paulo's restaurant scene or catch up on who is doing what, especially since we have some many friends in common.


What happened was, the conversation revolved pretty much around the latest apps we've downloaded and our opinion about the brands that we think are doing a good job taking advantage of new media. It was fun.


Sign of the times...

Revolutionizing Education

After reading this article in Fortune Magazine, I went to YouTube to check out the Kahn Academy channel in YouTube. In you haven't seen it yet, there you'll find over 1,600 videos that will blow you away. From the Pythagorean Theory to how to calculate EBITDA... powerful concepts explained in a beautifully simple way. The educational videos created by Salman Kahn are the best examples of how the internet can and will revolutionize education. I spent the four past nights immersed in these amazing mini lectures.

Proof that simple ideas can change the world.

eQlibri - Brazil's new line of healthy snacks for women

eQlibri - our brand new line of healthy snacks for women - was launched a few weeks ago and is getting great reviews from trade customers around Brazil. eQlibri comes in two product formats:

eQlibri breadchips - a mini baguette-shaped breadchip that comes in two great-tasting flavors: mild cheese & herbs and parma ham, in a 40g stand-up pouch.

eQlibri crackers - a very light cracker in three flavors: mozzarella & basil, hint of lime and an original flavor. The crackers come in a 100g box, an ideal size for sharing and in a 100-calorie 23g single-serve package designed for on-the-go consumption.

Fortune for iPad

It's becoming a nice habit, after putting the girls to bed, to search through the Apple App Store to find interesting content to download. Last night, I had a chance of reading through one of the editions of Fortune Magazine for iPad. I really enjoyed it. Clean graphic design with fun-to-read business stories and interactive articles like one on FM Global which was great. As a marketing guy, it was interesting to see how advertisers are jumping on board using video resources (like an ad from IBM called 'Conversations on a smarter planet'). I can easily see Brazilian business publications borrowing a page from this initiative as they figure out how to play in this fascinating space.

Worth checking it out.

Time to open up

I finished reading "Open Innovation - How Social Technology Can Transform The Way You Lead" by Charlene Li (author of "Groundswell"). I wasn't unable to attend Charlene's speech here in São Paulo earlier this year, so I was happy when my friend Alexandre Peralta gave me her latest book. The book is a guide on how to manage, communicate and navgate in this new (and sometimes intimidating) socially networked world full of interesting stories of how some companies and leaders are getting it right.

For information on the openess journey, go to open-leadership.com.

I also found this short video of Charlene Li talking about her new book.

No TV at home.... time for the iPad

It's been over a month since we've been living without a TV at home (I'd rather not mention what happened....) and it's interesting to see how much the whole Family has been reading much more than before. The girls and I have been spending a few hours after dinner downloading and reading books on the iPad. We just love it. Last night, after they went to sleep, I continued on the iPad but this time reading through the Cool Hunting app which is absolutely essential for anyone working on innovation. It's a great way to read a bit about what's going on in other markets without having to travel at all.

I can't get over how e-books will transform the publishing business in a big way and certainly engage a new generation of readers. An awesome disruptive revolution in the making.

Creating a purpose-driven organization

Yesterday, I was invited to a presentation that was truly inspiring. Especially inspiring for anyone who is interested or determined in creating a purpose-driven brand or company. It was a presentation by BrightHouse - an ideation corporation which is now in Brazil represented by the Grupo Troiano de Branding. They talked about how they are helping companies generate master ideas through what they call the 4I's Process (investigation, incubation, illumination and illustration).

What blew me away were two case studies of how the process is brought to life. Instead of yet another powerpoint, the work is presented in an inspirational video fromat. The film carves a very defined positioning and lays out what purpose a specific brand should have. The videos were insightful, using powerful words & imagery, elevating the brand story to a different place. Great work.

My love affair with the Canon EOS 7D

When it comes to photography, I've always been a Canon fan. With the exception of my first SLR camera during high school, a classic Pentax K1000 (the camera that helped me fall in love with photography), I've only had Canons. From the EOS Rebel to the digital EOS D50 to my very new Canon EOS 7D, which I bought for this summer vacation, and I'm absolutely in love with. After two months using it, it's definitely my dream camera, combining an 18.0 megapixel SLR camera with the benefit of full HD video.

Aix in local style

This year, my wife and I decided our summer vacation would be different. We decided to spend time travelling around Provence but we also enrolled our two daughters in a summer school in Aix-en-Provence as a reward to the French classes they have been taking for the past few years. So, we decided to rent a summer home. We used an online resource called Homelidays that worked very well for us. Easy search navigation, useful information and photos of the properties, which helped us find the perfect space we need for our Provençal adventure, perfectly located just steps away from the old part of town.

The first days have exceeded our expectations. The owners of the property we are renting have been absolutely amazing doing everything possible to make us feel truly at home. Fresh flowers on our arrival, tips on the best neighborhood bakery, where to eat local and how to get into a great country club on the weekend... nothing quite beats living like a local. We're loving the experience!

iPad creates a whole new reading experience

Reading to my daughters has always been part of our family evening go-to-bed ritual. Now that our daugthers are getting older, it's fascinating to see how they are enjoying a completely new reading experience with our iPad.

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As I help them download new books, it's interesting to see how some publishing houses and media groups are rapidly understanding that creating books takes on a whole new meaning. Stories and illustrations can move, morph, transform and become totally interactive.

An entirely new experience that will certainly influence a new generation of readers. This is an example of what books are becoming....

On the Cannes shortlist

Today I received a phone call from Wilson Pereira, our account executive from AlmapBBDO telling me that our Doritos TV campaign "Wanna share something with friends, share a Doritos" made it to the Cannes 2010 Shortlist.... cool!

Toddy's Moooooovement of truth

Last year, we launched a very successful campaign for our Toddy® business in Brazil called "Toddy the flavor of truth". Brand loyalists love how Toddy has always been about authenticity... a certain unpretencious coolness. Brazilian millenials identify with the brand's iconic cows and their very Brazilian-style irreverence. The campaign idea is rather simple. You either say the truth or you get a moooooooo from the cows. You're either real, authentic, cool or you get a moooooo.

Hundreds of different moooos are being posted in social networks and forums by people all over the country. It has become a fun way to protest against anything that's not real.


The campaign was created by PeraltaStrawberryFrog.

Here are the two latest spots which start airing this weekend. Come join the mooooovement.

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Wallpaper* June edition 'Born in Brazil'

If you've got a thing for Brazil or just curious to get into the vibe of what's going on in this beautiful country.... pick up the June edition of Wallpaper* - one of the coolest magazines around with cover story "Born in Brazil - a warm wellcome from the most exciting country on earth". It was a great read flying back from Curitiba this week.

Different than other publications, Wallpaper* set up a temporary office in São Paulo to live, breathe and get a true inside view of why this place is finally happening.

Brazil's little piece of chocolate heaven

France has truffles... Brazil has the brigadeiro.... a little chocolate sin served at birthday parties and as a dessert around the country. Nobody knows brigadeiros like Juliana Motter, founder of Maria Brigadeiro. Until recently, she would only take reservations by phone but now Juliana opened a storefront in one of São Paulo's cool neighborhoods. We went there last night to buy a gift box.

If you're ever in São Paulo and you get a craving for chocolate... here's the address:

Rua Capote Valente, 68

World's first display made from reclyced chip bags

Last week, here at PepsiCo Brazil we started to roll-out an exciting new product display for our line of snacks. The news is that is the world's first display made 100% from recycled chip bags. In fact, 675 chip bags are used to make each display. By the end of the year, we will be producing 25,000 displays to be placed in stores all over Brazil.
























We're working with waste management coops in São Paulo which are collecting chip bags as part of a larger post-consumer packaging program that we're deploying in partnership with TerraCycle - the world's most innovative eco-friendly manufucturers.

This initiative means, that in the next six months, 16.8 million bags won't go to landfills.

The Nothing Movement in Rhode Island

Jeanette Palmer and I worked on a few packaging graphic projects for 7UP and H2OH! a few years ago when she was with Raison Pure New York. She now lives in Providence, Rhode Island and works for a local agency called NAIL. She sent me a link with an amazing cultural movement called Nothing her agency has created for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.

A beautiful example of how the power of creative can work for a greater cause. This is the type of campaign that would work very well in developing countries, like here in Brazil.

I love everything about it.

Click here to visit the movement's website

Campaign for NatuChips - all-natural chips made from Brazilian Roots

This is our TV campaign for NatuChips - a line of all-natural chips made from Brazilian roots: Mandioquinha (arracacha in English) and Inhame (taro).

The copy reinforces naturalness and freshness with a touch of humor. It actually takes between 12-36 hours from the moment these roots are harvested and are produced at our plant in Sete Lagoas (state of Minas Gerais).

NatuChips also follows a global trend towards clean labels. In our case, just three ingredients: roots, palm oil and salt.

Creative by AlmapBBDO.

Dip or squeeze... great packaging idea

An e-mail came in today from 4Sight - a NY-based packaging design firm I've worked with a few years ago - communicating a recent project they worked on called Heinz Ketchup Dip & Squeeze.  

This is an absolutely brilliant example of how many times the best packaging ideas are very simple.  

I love it!

Salsa, salsa, salsa!

In case you haven't seen it, this is a fantastic example of creativity to communicate a food product. Congratulations to the Tostitos Team at Frito-Lay!

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More on our "Share a Doritos" Campaign in Brazil

The third 30"TV spot of Brazil's new Doritos campaign "Wanna Share Something with Friends, Share a Doritos" beutifully created by AlmapBBDO. This spot, which is take on the famous truth or dare game, is by far my favorite of the three spots. I love the suspense, the production details... and the fact the story is told backwards. It started to air this weekend.

I hope you like it...

What's happening during school recess?

If you want to know what's hot among kids, check out what's going on during recess in any school around the country.  Nowadays, the hottest property in Brazil (and what I've been reading in many countries around the World) is the FIFA 2010 World Cup Official Sticker Album.  In the past two weeks, I've been myself driving to the neighborhood newstand to buy more stickers for my two daughters... who aren't really soccer fans.  They tell me everyone at school (and even the teachers) is collecting the cards.  This is a fascinating cultural movement.

Why is this so hot?  Ok, I know that we're 45 days away from the coolest sports event in the World (I personally can't wait!), but why are kids so obsessed to collect these cards?  My personal feeling is the following...

There's a certain thrill of exchanging cards with other kids

There's a tangible feeling of opening the envelopes, sticking the cards, seeing the album being complete that beats the many virtual experiences these kids have after school in front of the computer

There's a sense of belonging, that kids all over the world are doing the same

What can we learn from this experience that can apply to the brand experiences we provide?

DVD on the innovation workshop

I borrowed a DVD on innovative thinking from my good friend Gilvan Azevedo, who works at IFF. Gilvan is a great source of information, always very wired.  So, I was curious to watch the video which is called Marty Neumeier's Innovation Workshop.    Marty Meumeier is president of San Francisco-based think tank Neutron and author of Zag, Brand Gap and The Designful Company. For those looking for inspiration and a few useful tips on how to jump-start the innovation journey, the video is worth watching.   

Innovation toolkit containing the DVD available at Amazon.

Two new spots for Doritos in Brazil

This weekend, we started airing two new 30" spots from Doritos 2010 TV Campaign. The new spots are a continuation of last year's successful campaign 'Wanna Share Something With Your Friends, Share a Doritos' which reinforces the brand as a social snack among teens.

In these two new executions, AlmapBBDO did a great job creating new situations which are interrupted by the campaign theme... reminding people that the best thing to share among friends is a bag of Doritos.

Doritos - Brazil's fastest-growing snack in 2009 - is becoming a lovemark among Brazilian millennials.

More news to come...

Photoshop free

On the cover of this month's French-edition of Maire Claire magazine you'll see a lettering that says "100% Sans Retouches" which means the edition is totally photoshop-free.  Another good example of a consumer trend that has been with us for a while now and my feeling is it's here to stay:  the search for authenticty.  In a climate of uncertainty and a mistrust in brand marketing, the interest people are finding in anything that keeps it real.  A positive attitude towards 'what you see is what you get'.    

You see this trend's manifestation from furniture retail (think Design Within Reach) to food (Innocent comes to mind as well as the recent launch of Haagen-Dazs Five) and now making it to the editorial world.  

Remembering a good wine

With thousands of wine labels available, often people try a wine at a restaurant or party and can't remember the next day what it was.  Wouldn't it be great if you could peel off a little sticker on the back panel with the wine's main features.? 

I couldn't find any example online.  What I did find was a site:  rememberwine.com that helps people keep records of the wines they have tasted over time. 

Good start.

Ice creams and gelatos I love

Those who know me, know how much I love ice-cream.  Last week-end in New York, I had a chance of visiting 

il laboratorio dei gelato (95 Orchard Street - Lower East Side), a gelateria that was on my wish list ever since I read an article on how Jon Snyder (founder of Ciao Bella where my wife and I used to go when we lived in the city) was creating some very unique flavors. I end up tasting toasted sesame, amareto crunch and lime fresh mint.  Absolutely fantastic!

Here is my list of great ice-creams and gelatos that I have tasted over the years (in no particular order)...

Gelateria di Piazza (San Gimignano, Italy)

Maison Berthillon (Paris)

Ben & Jerry's Factory (Waterbury, Vermont)

Ferris Acres Creamery (Newtown, Connecticut)

Mil Frutas (Ipanema, Rio)

Freddo (Buenos Aires)

Persicco (Buenos Aires)

Gelateria del Teatro (Rome)

If you know of any other great ice-cream parlors please let me know.

Making it easier for people to keep medical files

In the beginning of the year, I took my annual medical check-up. A few days later, I received an oversize envelope with the results of practically a full-day of tests.  How do those tests relate to previous check-ups?  I have no idea.  It doesn't help that I've never had a family doctor mainly because I've lived in 12 cities in three different countries.

The other day, I went for drinks with my brother-in-law James Maul, a techie who is very wired (every family seems to have one), who told me about Google Health - a service that allows people to store, organize, consult and share historical health data with a doctor or physical therapist.  It sounded like an interesting concept especially when you think how important health is to our lives and yet not everyone seems to keep good records.

Coincidently, on a flight back to São Paulo the other day, I read an interesting article in Time Magazine called "Paging Dr. Google - the search giant wants to help you compile your health records online. Is that a good idea?" written by Bonnie Rochman.

On the week-end, I ended up reading a little bit more about the service and I even found this very useful video resource in YouTube.... a pretty powerful concept.  

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Another cool augmented reality idea... from Doritos in Brazil

After the tremendous success we've been having with Doritos Sweet Chili and our augmented reality packaging, our digital agency CuboCC came up with another cool idea.  This time, they asked us if we wanted to put together the world's largest augmented reality event.  Why not?

Take a look at the video and see who appeared on top of the PepsiCo office building the other day?