Bradesco Bows New Campaign Featuring Surf Champion Gabriel Medina
The new Bradesco campaign premiered yesterday (July 19), during the commercial break of the Jornal Nacional newscast, and features two-time world surfing champion Gabriel Medina having a fantastic and thrilling encounter with Poseidon, the Greek god of the seas. Created by Leo Burnett Tailor Made and produced by Stink, with computer graphics and 3D effects, the campaign’s signature line is “Face the Future.”
In the video, Gabriel Medina, a Bradesco brand ambassador since 2019, seems disappointed as he watches a flat and calm ocean, with no waves. He then decides to dive into the ocean and wake Poseidon so that, with the help of the god’s powers, he might find the perfect wave. https://youtu.be/gqX_nmveKNQ
“We decided to use the surfing metaphor, with a flat ocean, to show how important it is that we take the initiative in our own stories. We sought a message of optimism that would encourage people to pursue their objectives in a bold and proactive manner. And it is all personified by Medina, in an advertising fable that features Poseidon and conveys the brand’s commitment to helping its customers overcome their challenges,” says Bradesco’s Marketing Director, Márcio Parizotto.
The campaign promotes the app that lets customers open new accounts, and emphasizes the services offered by the bank to help its customers at any moment, such as loans with a three-month grace period, the best interest rates on real estate financing, and new accounts with no fees for a year.
“The film set could not be a better fit for a two-time world surfing champion. The campaign was shot nearly completely under water. We created a fun narrative that shows Medina in a deep-sea diving adventure to awaken a mythological god,” adds Leo Burnett TM Creative VP, Vinicius Stanzione.
“The shooting was very technical. Both with the underwater camera crew and in post-production, the challenge was to recreate the look and feel of the bottom of the sea inside a deep swimming pool. Since most of the scenes were shot under water, in addition to the health and safety protocols we had special training in order to understand the dynamics of filming underwater and prepare our crew,” says Stink Films Executive Producer, Tico Cruz.
The video was produced by Stink Films and directed by Squarehead, and features a carefully chosen soundtrack: “Don’t let the sea swallow you,” a 1999 song by the Charlie Brown Jr. band that has the same message of optimism and overcoming challenges that the bank wanted for the campaign. The song is also part of Gabriel Medina’s own playlists, and the athlete says the refrain is especially relevant to this moment in his life.
In social media, the #MedinaDay project will promote real-time conversations on Twitter about the Olympics and the World Surf League, following not only Medina’s decisive moments in those competitions, but also other opportunities involving the athlete.
In addition to the video and social media, the campaign also features vignettes that will be aired in the Globo and Sport TV channels during the Olympic Games, as well as OOH and display media assets.