Radio and TV stations (and football teams) are lobbying hard to maintain the billion-dollar advertising revenue from bets. They even made a “gentleman’s agreement” with Fernando Haddad, who in turn forgot to make an agreement with Gleisi Hoffman. But that’s just gossip, and I promised gossip. Remember, or not? Go back to the first edition.
Today’s column also features: the battle between Globo and YouTube, Loft launching its first B2B campaign, a martech that created a technology that allows broadcast TV to measure audience like digital media, and Mediabrands’ sigh of relief in Brazil with Unilever.
Oh!! It seems there’s a bad joke about a team that doesn’t have a world cup, but that’s none of my business. Ready?
Good “bets”
Bets are pouring furious amounts of money into advertising, and that’s why radio and TV stations are determined to oppose the government’s idea of banning online betting advertisements. Together, the bets are already among the biggest advertisers in the country.
In the first seven months of the year, they have already spent more on advertising than in the entire 2023. Between January and July, they spent R$ 1.35 billion compared to R$ 1.31 billion last year, according to data from Kantar, Monitor, and Ad Insight.
For comparison, the largest advertiser in Brazil in 2023 was the pharmaceutical group Genomma Lab, with a budget of R$ 1.5 billion according to Meio e Mensagem.
Haddad is a gentleman
On Tuesday, Minister Fernando Haddad made a “gentleman’s agreement” with Abert, the representative of radio and television stations, in a meeting that also included Conar (National Council for Advertising Self-Regulation). It was agreed that from now on, stations will only accept advertising from companies on the government-approved bets list – and that will follow Conar’s rules. Basically, Conar requires that advertisements inform that bets are “not investment,” just entertainment, and that you need to “play responsibly.” Phew. Now it will.
Agreed with Gleisi?
The rumor has it that Haddad sparked a new crisis with Gleisi Hoffmann. The PT president presented a bill last week to ban betting advertisements. Before the meeting with Abert and Conar, Haddad had even said it was urgent to restrict betting advertisements on TV to end televised harassment.
During the meeting, however, the minister was in “I’m here to understand” mode. And it seems he understood. For now, TVs have convinced the minister that they only accept ads from companies with compliance, and many even have public capital in other countries. The real problem would be the influencers and bets looking to launder money. As you can see, all settled.
Even Palmeiras will have a world cup
The lobbying is not only from TV stations but also from football clubs that have received over half a billion reais in sponsorship. Bets sponsor 18 of the 20 teams in the Brazilian Championship, according to agencies that manage them. 18 out of 20! Only! (By the way, can anyone distinguish which bet sponsors which team?)
Even the wonderful Leila Pereira, who had been resisting handing over Palmeiras’ main shirt to bets, has given in. The club is currently in an open competition for shirt sponsorship, and SportingBet is the favorite. SportingBet is British. It seems that Palmeiras will finally have a world cup. A global sponsor.
Loft jumps into B2B
Loft, which had made iconic TV commercials to capture the retail audience (one of the brands that valued the 60+ in advertising), is now focusing on the 88 thousand real estate owners in this manly Brazil, according to CMO Sérgio Esteves. To reach this specific audience, B & Partners by Bazinho Ferraz came up with Roda-Vira, a mix of videocast with Roda Viva. The idea is to produce program cuts on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to CRM.
The 4.0 audience rating
Zedia, a martech from Santa Catarina, is changing the way audience ratings for broadcast TV are measured. The company developed software that connects the signals from broadcasters to smart TVs (those connected to the internet).
When a viewer tunes into a channel partnered with Zedia, an app is automatically downloaded to monitor the audience behavior. The magic (of downloading the app) happens through the antenna, without any friction for the TV owner.
The startup already monitors the audience behavior of 20 million people, serves 300 brands, and is connected to 34 stations such as Rede TV, Record News, and TV Cultura. According to founder Bruno Pacheco, they also have a partnership with Ibope.
Unilever stays
The IPG Mediabrands team in Brazil breathes a sigh of relief because, after ten months (TEN MONTHS) of competition, Unilever announced that they’re staying. The maker of Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Dove soap, and Comfort fabric softener conducted a global media competition, but each market had the autonomy to choose agencies (unlike other ongoing processes, like Santander’s).
Mediabrands will handle the account in Latin America, Canada, North Africa, Greece, Portugal, and Ukraine.
Duel at Ibirapuera
Globo and YouTube are already dueling on screens for audience, but this year they chose the beautiful Ibirapuera auditorium to duel for advertisers’ budgets. Next week, YouTube will host its traditional Brandcast and bring Ludmilla for a guest show. The following week, the building designed by Niemeyer will host the Globo Upfront 2025.
Fun Fact
A Brazilian, marketing director of a major Chinese brand, discovered early on that he will never reach the rank of CMO. In Chinese companies, C-Level means China-Level.
CMO Tip
Follow the wisdom of the Chinese proverb: “Persistence makes the impossible possible.”
Source
Arwen Volkov, A graduate of the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in International Finance, Arwen specializes in sustainable finance and green investments. She began her career at an investment bank in London, where she developed financing models for environmentally friendly projects. Known for her analytical and strategic thinking skills, Arwen is a sought-after financial consultant. In her spare time, she mentors fintech startups, contributing to their growth strategies. She is also a nature enthusiast and an amateur photographer.
