Although Nazaré’s Zon North Canyon event has a very high profile Mercedes-Benz wasn’t getting the awareness they wanted as a sponsor. That was the challenge: making this sponsorship visible and relevant throughout the event.

The materials and the design of the surfboard were discussed between Garrett Mcnamara, surfboard shapers and the engineering and design team at Mercedes-Benz AMG in Stuttgart. We used a mix of carbon-fiber and Kevlar to have a stiff core but flexible on the nose and tail to face the extreme punishment the board would have to withstand on these giant waves. The design was a partnership between the agency and top Mercedes Benz designers. This way, the surfboard would be on par with the storied Silver Arrow line of vehicles from Mercedes-Benz.

The project surpassed the Portuguese borders in terms of reach and grabbed the attention of media from all around the world. From the evening news to national newspapers, specialized surf and water-sports press up to design, automotive and technology magazines we where all over the place. With this we generated earned media worth more than a million euros of investment.