Invisible Runners
Alpargatas
Issue 34 | March 2015
Agency
F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, Sao Paulo
Creative Team
Executive Creative Directors Fabio Fernandes Eduardo Lima Creative Directors Pedro Prado Rodrigo Castellari Creatives Rodrigo Visconti Pedro Hefs
Production Team
Account Supervisors Marcello Penna Thiago Iusim Andrea Almeida Maria Eduarda Navarro Luiz Ortega Media Fabio Freitas Mauri´cio Almeida Luana Gallizzi Henrique Fogac¸a Gabriela Guedes Planners Jose´ Porto Andre´ Foresti Danilo Lima Gabriela Sanchez Flavia Nogueira Agency Producers Victor Alloza Renato Chabuh Gisele Campos Maira Massullo Rafael Paes Production Company Urso Morto
Other Credits
Clients Marcio Utsch Rui Porto Fernando Beer Roge´rio Barenco Mariana Pires Tereza Amorim
Date
January 2015
Background
Mizuno was a sportswear company founded in Japan in 1906.
Mizuno Brazil wanted to build on the Product success they had had with 'Uphill Mizuno Marathon', a campaign celebrating real runners signing up to compete in one of the world's toughest marathons.
Idea
In Sao Paulo, the city's garbage collectors ran roughly 20 kilometers a night without even noticing as they picked up the refuse.
Mizuno wanted to pay tribute to these exceptional yet invisible athletes.
In the week before Christmas, a documentary team followed them as they worked to keep the streets of Sao Paulo clean.
Hidden beneath some of the piles of plastic garbage bags were boxes of brand new Mizuno running shoes, gifts for the people who run through the city's streets even on Christmas Eve, doing their work.
Results
Within three weeks, the film has had 200,000 views on YouTube.
Our Thoughts
Sometimes it is very frustrating getting work from Brazil. We know it’s good, even great, but trying to read between the lines of the submission is not easy. I wonder how many Cannes Lions have not been won by Brazilian agencies because of the language barrier?
This lovely little film is an uplifting celebration of the joy of running. Yes, they are working but there is a wonderful exuberance about the garbage men and when they find the presents left for them by Mizuno it’s genuinely touching.
What F/Nazca haven’t mentioned but really should if they want to win awards is that this is a continuation of a sophisticated strategy built around branded content on YouTube and Facebook. On YouTube, Mizuno Brazil has uploaded 195 videos. If you’re a runner (not a Nike jogger) in Brazil, you will know about the channel and talk about it.