Bentley Burial
ABTO – Brazilian Association of Organ Transplants
Issue 30 | March 2014
Agency
Leo Burnett Tailor Made, Sao Paulo
Creative Team
Creative VP Marcelo Reis Executive Creative Director Guilherme Jahara Creative Director Rodrigo Jatene Art Director Marcelo Rize´rio Copywriter Christian Fontana
Production Team
Agency Producers Celso Groba Rafael Messias Stella Violla Production Company eNoise Event Producer Toninho Ciampolini
Other Credits
Client Dr. Jose´ Osmar Medina Pestana
Date
September 2013
Background
Brazil has very few organ donors per capita. People don't know that there is no procedure or registration required to become a donor. You just tell your family.
There was a job to be done simply to raise awareness.
Idea
It is genuinely shocking that thousands of useful body organs are buried every day yet no-one is shocked. To change this, a famously eccentric Brazilian millionaire was enlisted to help.
On his Facebook page, Count Chiquinho Scarpa announced that, inspired by the pharaohs, who buried their treasure, he was going to bury his $500,000 Bentley in the grounds of his mansion.
As anticipated, the news was broadcast on every TV and radio station. It made headlines in magazines and newspapers in Brazil and abroad.
The count was much criticized for his extravagance and selfishness.
Undeterred, he invited the media to attend the burial of the car.
Before the first shovelful of dirt was tossed, however, Scarpa gave a speech, which was broadcast live, saying that every day Brazilians were allowed to bury things that were far more valuable than his Bentley. Their organs. And nothing was more absurd than that, not even burying a car.
There and then he declared National Organ Donation Week open.
Results
Organ donations increased by 31.5% in just one month. More than 172 million people were impacted on social networks alone.
The idea generated $22m of earned media, achieved with just 6 Facebook posts and no media costs at all. It was Brazil's #1 Trending Topic and #2 in the world on Twitter.
Our Thoughts
Charities and NGOs often like to shock simply to get noticed but this is a brilliant take on shock. Shockingly good, in fact, to fake an act of such monumental vanity the entire country would be roused to fury before the twist in the tale was revealed.
The key to this brilliant idea was in recognising the fundamental absurdity of the problem. Getting a real celebrity, the eccentric Count, to participate was a masterstroke. He brought infamy to the idea and that was what brought the media to his garden in their hordes that morning. Kudos to Count Chiquinho Scarpa for playing his part in the stunt and taking in so many by the ruse.