Celebrities are always posting their daily lives for everyone to see on social media, from a polished shot to a moment of relaxation. That means that brands are always trying to stick their products into the spotlight on these people’s feeds in the hopes that they become a trend and go viral.

But Havaianas isn’t just any brand. After all, everyone wears them, even celebrities. That’s why we highlighted a true trend: Havaianas.

Havaianas is a Brazilian brand that has gone global. Everyone’s familiar with it, including the biggest celebrities out there. And this is where our idea comes to life, leveraging a truth that only Havaianas can speak to: while other brands are paying to get their product into celebrities’ posts on social media, those same celebrities wear Havaianas of their own free will.

Without paying for the exposure, we developed a whole campaign using pictures posted originally by celebrities wearing Havaianas on social media, showing that Havaianas is a true, genuine trend.

This way, we were able to strengthen our connection to both the fashion world and the target: men and women, ages 18-50, who are increasingly aware of fashion.

First, we noticed something about in celebrities' behavior on social media: they post pictures wearing Havaianas without being sponsored by the brand.

Using this behavior, we took the photos that were originally published by celebrities and pixelated the whole image, except the Havaianas. This way, we could show that influencers are following a true trend without getting a cent for it.

Moreover, we appropriated the language of sponsored posts and made it crystal-clear that celebrities weren’t getting sponsored in exchange for wearing our product.

In the campaign, we appropriated the the native language of Instagram, making it clear that the pixelated photo had been originally published by a celebrity wearing Havaianas without being paid for it.

This way, we were able to introduce the #TrueTrend concept in the images taken from the social media timeline and we could show the public that we are the brand that trends on and off social media, without having to pay for any type of sponsorship.

Awareness: Havaianas reinforced its image as a fashionable flip flop, getting lots more attention (and with a lot less investment) than if the brand had actually sponsored those celebrities and influencers.