Brazil – WhatsApp has launched its first campaign, centred on carnival in Brazil, to demonstrate why the platform is more than a messaging app.
The emotive seven-minute campaign is inspired by real events. The film, called Fica só entre vocês (It’s between you), tells the story of rival dance schools, one of whose warehouse is full of elaborate costumes and a carnival float is destroyed in a fire. Despite the disaster, the main protagonist finds solace through WhatsApp, with his rival and the wider community using the platform to rally around and help them recover.
Launched to coincide with Brazil’s 2020 carnival period, the campaign’s cinematic approach also pays tribute to local traditions, passions and emotions. ‘Brazil is one of the main markets for the company worldwide, so we decided to launch the campaign here and pay tribute to the solidarity of Brazilians inspired by one of the country’s dearest traditions,’ says Taciana Lopes, Facebook’s head of consumer marketing. The app’s move into advertising will draw attention to the ways in which it can help different communities, with future ads set to refer to cultural moments in other markets including Mexico, Germany and India.
For more on how brands can use digital platforms to support hyper-local human behaviour, read our interview with Payal Arora, author of The Next Billion Users.