Streaming platform DIRECTV GO sought to highlight the problem of pirated Pay-Tv in Brazil and disrupt the illegal sports streaming ecosystem through an initiative called ‘The Pirate Match’: a live-streamed football match where everything was fake.
The project saw DIRECTV GO team up with agency Mirium Brazil in a direct response to the fact that Brazil is one of the biggest consumers of pirated Pay-TV in the world with as any as 33 million Brazilians access illegal sports content regularly.
The aim was to highlight awareness of the illegal practice and warn consumers about the risks of consuming pirated TV.
Based around the UEFA Champions League last 16 game between Atlético de Madrid and Manchester United on 15 March, many of those carry out a Google search for a free illegal stream found themselves clicking on a link which took them to DIRECTV Go’s fake game: a match full of surprises.
‘The Pirate Match‘ was a 90-minute broadcast where the game looked much like the real thing – but wasn’t. Instead of watching the Manchester United and Atlético de Madrid super stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Suarez, fans instead found themselves watching an arterially, brand- staged match between ‘Mão Chester United’ and ‘Atlético de Mandrituba’ in a pirate stadium featuring lookalikes Rolando and Suado (which means ‘sweaty’ in Portuguese) playing an amateur match complete with fake commentators, fake referees and even fake fans.
Viewers were then periodically directed to DIRECTV GO where they could access the authentic, official broadcast for free via a seven-day trial of the platform – thus enabling them to see for themselves how DIRECTV offers quality content that’s risk free and at an affordable price.
DIRECTV GO Digital Growth Director Alexander Rocco commented: “Piracy is on the rise in Brazil, so we wanted to demonstrate how there are viable ways to access great quality content without any suspicious links or risks to data security, and most importantly, without infringing on third-party rights. Mirum was a great partner in doing this and we’re delighted with the results following the activation.”
The entry of DIRECTV GO in Brazil aims to make TV more accessible for all. In addition to live channels, the app also offers a complete catalogue of movies, series, and exclusive content, which can be accessed through smart TVs, computers, cell phones and tablets.
“Watching TV illegally is a huge problem in Brazil, but many people don’t see it as a crime. The behaviour gained popularity due to the perception that Cable TV companies and streaming services are very expensive. Educational campaigns on the subject are rare and often carry a negative message about criminalisation, with almost no impact. We wanted to do something different to raise awareness of the issue and highlight DIRECTV GO as a platform that provides quality content that’s risk free and at an affordable price.” Said Mirium Brazil Creative Director Filipe Matiazi.
The campaign was created for and briefed in by a client team at DIRECTV GO which included Executive Creative Director Of Marketing & Acquisitions Alexander Rocco, Digital Marketing Manager Alexander Greif, Marketing & Branding Specialist Fernanda Bonfanti, Corporate Communications Manager Cassia Monteiro Da Silva Raymundo and Corporate Communications Specialists Thais Morandini and Canova Morrone by Mirum Brasil.
The agency team was led by Chief Executive Officer Robson Ortiz, Global Chief Creative Officers Bas Korsten and Daniel Bonner, Latam Chief Creative Officers Daniel Minaker and Sebastián Tarazaga, Creative Director Filipe Matiazi, Associate Creative Director Victor Keiti, Operations Co-Ordinator Amanda De Oliveira, Production Lead Paulo Setti, Art Directors Rafael Rudnicki and Daniel Mota, Copywriters Thiago Gabardo, Patricia Machado and Allison Noronha, Motion Graphics Supervisor Bruno Reynaldo, Motion Designer Igor Feitoza, plus a social team which included Vanessa Vieira, Gustavo Candido, Fernando Nunes, Fabiola Cebrian, Juan Silva and Emanuelle Sandri and a media team consisting of Camila Vaz, Chrystina Mundt, Mariana Erêda, Mellina Azevedo and Larissa Gonçalves.
The tech team included Felipe Gomide, Lizandra Silva, Leandro Mohr, Melchiades Medeiros and Fabio Assunção, the data and analytics unit was led by Tiago Moreira, Franchesco Calzolaio, Oscar Neto, Leonardo Cabreira, Guilherme Ferreira, Flávia Clapis, Ector Luiz, Luiz Yamada and Jhonathan Wolff. PR was handled by Daniela Andres and Marilia Carzino, with designers Nathalia Pereira, Aline Santos and Rafael Rudnicki. The photographers were Vinicius Barreto and João Heim and the account executives were Patricia Rogoski, Alessandra Fraresso, Andressa Sucodolski and Julia Rugno.
The production and post-production company was Buzz CCS (Curitiba) with Directors Duda Justus and Lincoln Barela and music was handled by Toro Audio.
Outcome:
The agency behind the campaign, Mirum (Curitiba, Brazil) reported that ‘The Pirate Match’ generated a 300% increase in search-ad engagement (compared with previous Champions League campaigns) and resulted in a 43% increase in free trials of DirecTV Go.
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