Havaianas wanted to create a digital activation that would be more than an ad – something that could become a new platform, a new way of talking to its consumers. And the social network chosen to do that was Instagram. But how could the brand stand out in such a crowded arena as Instagram, and Stories in particular? Well, we used the main problem many brands face on Instagram to power our content.

Instead of worrying that users would tap on the screen and skip our content, we created content that was made to be skipped. Yeah, that’s right. We hacked users’ behavior, making them tap on the screen. How? We created a stop-motion film that’s animated when users tap on the screen on Instagram Stories. The film is made up of 90 illustrations, each interacting with the next image to create the illusion of movement and making the film happen. The faster the “tapping”, the better the film works.

About 80% of Instagram use is today is concentrated in Instagram Stories. This makes Stories the place to be – but it’s also the most crowded arena in the digital environment. Everybody’s there. Usually with very interesting content that’s related to what users want to see. So, instead of making just an ordinary ad, we decided to use the platform to create real content. And this was the first piece of a new way to address Havaianas consumers.

We placed ads on Instagram Stories, inviting people to our highlighted Stories on the brand’s profile on Instagram. Then, once people start tapping through our content, we created a story where the tapping powers the film. It becomes kind of addictive, and you only stop when it’s over. The brand wants these finger-motion films to become a new way of engaging with the audience: it’s fun, it fits the format perfectly, and it’s more than an ad.

The idea had about 20% more engagement than any other event on the brand’s profile.