Penguin Random House is one of the most respected publishers in the world. However. Despite having published influential Portuguese authors, Penguin is not yet seen as a brand connected with the local culture.

The publisher wanted a book project capable of showing its knowledge and love for Portuguese culture. Capable of generating engagement with Portuguese readers and awareness through earned media.

For more than 40 years, the Portuguese lived under a fascist dictatorship that tortured and killed thousands of people. The blue pencil, used to censor artists, became a symbol of repression. On the Carnation Revolution’s 50º anniversary, Penguin Books offered blue pencils to contemporary artists so that, inspired by the blackout poetry technique, they could re-invent the fascist constitution with poems using words selected from the historic document and illustrations covering the remaining ones. A symbol of repression turned into an art manifesto celebrating freedom.

Penguin Random House is the world’s most global trade book publisher, having 250 widely recognized and respected publishing divisions, imprints, and brands. The primary target audience for this book is Portuguese readers, men, and women between 30 and 60 years.

Instead of making an advertising campaign to communicate with the Portuguese, we decided to launch a book that addresses the most crucial moment in the country’s democracy. A unique project with the potential to generate awareness and earned it media. Spoiler alert: it did.

Penguin Books offered contemporary artists blue pencils on the Carnation Revolution’s 50º anniversary. Inspired by the blackout poetry technique, they could re-invent the fascist constitution with poems using words selected from the historical document and illustrations covering the remaining ones. A symbol of repression turned into an art manifesto celebrating freedom.

Inspired by the black-out poetry technique, 11 illustrators covered a historical document with their blue pencils, giving birth to 58 original illustrations in perfect harmony with the poems. A symbol of repression turned into an art manifesto celebrating freedom.

Each illustrator received a different page with the words already selected by the poets. They now had to cover the remaining ones with an original illustration made with a blue pencil. That's why, despite the different illustration styles, they have remarkable synchrony. The process took a year, 6 months for the poets to find their poems in the document, and 6 months for the illustrators to cover the remaining words with their illustrations.

With a print run of 2.500 copies, the book became available in the leading bookstore chains of the county, quickly becoming a bestseller. It sold out in months, and the 2nd edition is available in bookstores nationwide.

-The Portuguese Reconstitution grabbed the media's attention, being showcased on prime TV, the country's biggest radio stations, newspapers, and podcasts.

-Earned media: 7.251.551 OTS (Opportunity to See) with an AVE (Advertising Value Equivalency) of €670.000,00, all achieved without any media investment.

-The book became a best-seller, with its first edition sold out in months and the second one already in bookshops nationwide.

-Entered the Portuguese National Reading Plan, an official Ministry of Education project promoting reading and literacy. Being selected means the Portuguese government recognizes this literary work as an essential educational tool for youth and children.

-It is being used in Portuguese schools to teach students the history of the revolution through art.

- It was adopted as a mandatory reading bibliography in the second year of the degree in Portuguese Studies at Dalarna University in Sweden.