Nike's viral marketers and blogs in Brazil

Together with eight other journalists, I am part of a blog called Futepoca, which mostly deals with football (soccer) — not that any of us works in sports, but we like the topic a lot. On February 26, we got an e-mail that was curious, to say the least. It came with the heading “Article on Ronaldo” and the sender was someone from a “viral marketing” company. The e-mail read:

"Hey there, FUTEPOCA Bloggers!

I work at the RIOT agency, which specializes in Social Media Strategy.

I visited your blog and like the content a lot.

For that reason, I thought it would be very relevant to suggest that you write about the Nike Web site on the “recovery” of Ronaldo, which had surgery on February 14 on his left knee. This site was created by Nike so that fans of Ronaldo could send good wishes and motivation to the player so he can return to the field as soon as possible and once again captivate football lovers.

I am sending you a small explanatory note with some instruction on how this article might be written, okay?

In case you agree to write about Ronaldo and the results on your blog — comments and the like — are positive, who knows, maybe we could form some sort of partnership, okay? This post I am suggested would be sort of a pilot post. If it gets results, and new campaigns come up that are relevant to your blog, we can talk again, okay?

PS: If you accept, we need the text written and posted by tomorrow night, okay? Any questions, contact me."

“Spontaneous” support

“Viral marketing” is a method used by a lot of companies to increase their brand recognition, and has social networks as its initial niche. The idea is for publicity campaigns to reproduce like an “epidemic.” Now the promoters of these campaigns are starting to use blogs — because these have a supposedly “amateur” characer — as a way of promoting their products.

Unlike other campaigns, however, the “proposal” made in Nike’s name contains a clear promise of “future dealings,” as is evident from the part I reproduced in boldface. This is something that undermines the very concept of viral marketing, because it is nothing more than a subtle suggestion of a paid post. They are not trying to buy ad space, which is completely normal and common on any site or in any publication. They are trying to buy editorial content.

Below, the “guidelines” they sent on how the blogger ought to write up the post:

"The post consists of writing a short article on the Ronaldo phenomenon, his conquests in Brazil and abroad. It should focus on ennobling the player, who has acquired, through his many success, the status of a “phenomenon.” In this text, or just below it, the link to the Nike site should be inserted. Try to motivate people to send the player good wishes, or create a video celebrating a memorable goal, showing Ronaldo’s trademark, which is a raised index finger.

Try also to emphasize the opportunity to send messages directly through the Nike portal or by SMS. The post should motivate people to support the player spontaneously, referring to the passion for football and the great player Ronaldo."

Marketers demoralize

You see those “guidelines”? Copy and paste a selection into Google. You will see that various Web sites and blogs contain verbatim passages of it. Others follow the “spirit” of the briefing more closely. It could be that a number of different bloggers really did express their admiration for Ronaldo and posted under this “incentive,” but in good faith. However, in practice, it is difficult to tell the difference between sincere admirers and those who did it simply because of the promises the e-mail made. It is difficult for the reader to believe that the Web site author is sincere.

But there is a more serious distinction to be made here. There are sites and blogs that focus more on entertainment that are authored without any journalistic standards, and there are Web sites authored by journalists, who supposed ought to follow the standards of this profession, which are so often abused these days. The latter cannot accept such an offer under any circumstances. For that reason, our site did not even respond. Futepoca is often not journalistic, it deals with its subject matter with humor and a bit of irreverence, such as creating campaigns to make fun of the organized fan clubs. But most of the time, including the treatment of information run in other publications, clear standards are followed. After all, even though none of us are sports professionals, we are full-time journalists in our working lives.

For that reason, what surprises us is not that the Nike item would have been published on news sites, but mainly the way the “news” was delivered. On the Futebol Interior site, for example, the headline was “Nike runs a global pro-Ronaldo campaign. Participate!” Any first-year journalism student would blush. Other blogs and sites also republished the campaign.

The contribution of blogs to the democratization of social communication in Brazil and in the world is becoming decisive. But this type of marketing campaign, when echoed in the blogosophere, is demoralizing. Nor is [advertorial marketing] in the major commercial media a new fact. But it continues to be a lamentable one.

Ana Paula Oliveira is Brazil!

The soccer referee Ana Paula Oliveira, the muse that returns to the football in September, leads survey of Spanish site El Mundo Deportivo. It asks "which her favorite sportswoman is?".

Ana Paula has 42% of the votes, what corresponds to 21,5 thousand votes. The Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova comes in the sequence, with 39%, or 19,9 thousand. The Russian Yelena Isinbayeva, of the pole vault, has modest 10% (4,9 thousand), while the others, Natalie Gulbis, North American golfer, Amanda Beard, North American swimmer, and Laure Manaudou, French swimmer.

She is not the only that has pictures semi-nude or nude, in the case, removings of the Brazilian edition of Playboy. Swimmer Amanda Beard appears in two sensual pictures, one o f them hiding the breasts with the hands and other in a swimming pool with a transparent dress.

El Mundo Deportivo put the pictures of Sharapova in prominence, although the Brazilian is in advantage since Friday.

Ana Paula is Brazil! Go, Oliveira!

Cachaça makes samba

Cachaça dá Samba (that could be translated to "Cachaça makes samba")is a CD released by DeckDisc – a recorder company 100% independent, according to its own slogan – in June, at Rival Theatre, in Rio de Janeiro.

Alfredo Del-Penho and Pedro Paulo Malta intention was noble: compiling songs written during the 20th century that have the beverage as an inspiration. In other words, are songs that could be part of "Som na caixa, manguaça", a list of Brazilians songs published in our Portuguese edition.

The track list:

1 - Ai, Cachaça! / Bebida, Mulher e Orgia
2 - Quem Não Sabe Beber
3 - A Verdade é Pura
4 - O Pingo e a Pinga
5 - Malvada Pinga (moda da Pinga)
6 - Delírio Alcoólico
7 - Por Esta Vez Passa
8 - Maria Fumaça
9 - Prá Esquecer
10 - É Bom Parar / Quem Mandou Você Beber/ Não Deixarei de Beber
11 - Moenda Velha
12 - Baranga Das Dez, Broto Das Duas
13 - O Que me Dão Pra Beber / Beberrão
14 - Deixa-me Beber / Cachaça

They have recorded in Biscoito Fino the CD Dois bicudos, in 2004, well seen by critics, although I did not listen. The new Cachaça dá samba are sold by 21,90 reais (US$ 7), at DeckDisc's website. Single tracks are also available at Imusica (only tracks 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 e 9).

Deckdisc

Learning about cachaça

For non-Brazilian readers, we have prepared a list of how to learn about this amazing beverage developped in the country in the 17th century.

The Museum of Cachaça of Pernambuco State swear to have 7,8 thousand bottles. The curator José Moisés de Moura says he took 20 years to put them together. Some of the our drank authors calculates it would be necessary to take 20 days to finish it all.
For the last six years, he keeps a website for the museum, opened since 1998, in Lagoa do Carro (tha car lake), a town 60 km far way from Recife. For the ones who got there, you have to pay 1 real (33 cents) for the ticket. A huge part of the visitors say it is not easy to leave, deppending on how much ou have drunk at the Bar do Papudinho (untranslatable). For children, no charges.

"Cachaça is also culture" is the slogan of Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Cachaça, the "Muca". Created in 1991, they have the "chambirra" in all its forms. The most impressive, although, are the books – to show the catchphrase is true. Notice that it is impressive because reading after drinking is not easy.


Minas Gerais, the state of cachaça, also have its museum, in Caeté. the 6 thousand bottles, showed near a restaurant, were jointed by a doctor who can not hide his drunk roots. He started the collection inside a bar. One day, he got into one, and saw a whole wall covered by bottles of all collors, shapes and labels. He decided to buy it all. Someone might think that the collection idea was a way to explain to his wife and the neighbourhood that buch of cachaças. Honestly, I don't know.

Virtual "Mé" – to the headached readers who have no strentgh to leave the computer, you may take a look at Cachaça na Net (CnN), that have many labels of cachaças. The most incredible is that the "office" is located in Netherlands. After scaning, the original labels are kept in safe place. The Cultura e conhecimento: cachaça (Culture and knowledge: cachaça) do not explains very clearly what they are. They have label pictures, sambas' lyrics about the "caxaramba" and other stuf.

The Cachaça fair and Cachaça.com.br are virtual stores of cachaça. It is not the most cheap prices, but ok. Cachacas.com intents to be a true website about the "chambirra", with news and so on, while Cachaçaria Virtual lists news.

The original post is in portuguese.