Recently, Petrobras discovered one of the largest oil reserves in the world, 26,000 feet (8,000 meters) underwater. Our goal was to show an entire nation this great achievement. And the best way to do it was through a PR strategy.

The Brazilian population knows that Petrobras discovered a large oil reserve, but they don’t know the details. They need to know where the oil is located and, most importantly, they needed to know that Petrobras is already there.

We went beyond a traditional PR strategy, avoiding the obvious ways of drawing attention, since this is a topic the population does not engage with naturally. The solution we found was to plant a Brazilian flag on the ocean floor at the exact location where oil was discovered.

To complete our objective, we launched the Neptune Mission. But in order to plant the flag, we had to prepare several things, like a structure that could withstand the pressure at those depths.

Everyone would watch the flag as it unfurled at the bottom of the ocean on the mission website and the Petrobras Facebook page.

In just 3 days the Neptune Mission had 2 million views on YouTube, reached 15.5 million people on Facebook and 3 million people on Twitter.

Various communication outlets in Brazil and around the world talked about the Neptune Mission, generating spontaneous media and visibility for the project. And Petrobras was able to spread its message to the entire country.

Planting a Brazilian flag on the ocean floor was a media strategy at a depth of 6,500 feet (2,000 meters). It was the first time a brand advertised there.

Everyone would watch the flag as it unfurled at the bottom of the ocean on the mission website and the Petrobras Facebook page. Moreover, the website also provided interesting information and a behind-the-scenes look at the project.

In just 3 days, the Neptune Mission had 2 million views on YouTube, reached 15.5 million people on Facebook and 3 million people on Twitter. It also made it on the YouTube Ads Leaderboard in October.

Various communication outlets in Brazil and around the world talked about the Neptune Mission, generating spontaneous media and visibility for the project.

Furthermore, Petrobras received 90,000 visitors to its webpage during this period and delivered its message to an entire country, making it clear to the Brazilian people that the oil belongs to them.