Racism, elitism and sexism erased one of Brazil's greatest singers from history: Alaíde Costa, one of the mothers of Bossa Nova.

To right this historic wrong and present Alaíde's legacy to younger generations, Johnnie Walker (a brand that celebrates bold people who take bold steps) created an integrated campaign across various media channels to celebrate her music and retell her story.

A creative collaboration with one of Brazil’s most legendary artists that took consumers on a journey through different parts of her inspiring story and changed the country’s musical history forever.

Bossa Nova is a 100% Brazilian musical genre that, like samba, conquered the entire world with songs like "The Girl from Ipanema." However, while the founding fathers of Bossa Nova (all white men) gained international fame, one of its mothers, Alaíde Costa, was forgotten.

The reason? Alaíde was a Black woman in a time dominated by sexism and racial prejudice. She often heard that Black women should only sing samba. She was overlooked by major media and record labels and, on more than one occasion, had to enter music venues through the back door. As if all that wasn't enough, she wasn't invited to the 1962 show at Carnegie Hall which introduced Bossa Nova to the world.

In 2023, a new show celebrating the 60th anniversary of the genre was set to take place. In the same city: New York. At the same venue: Carnegie Hall. And guess what? Once again, Alaíde was forgotten.

Johnnie Walker couldn't let this mistake happen again. As a brand that values people who take bold steps despite any obstacle, it decided to correct history and put Alaíde Costa in her rightful place: center stage.

In a multi-media campaign, JW retold the steps of this legendary figure across a variety of channels. We showed the path of a strong woman who never gave up singing what she loved in spite of ostracism, and helped Alaíde finally reach Carnegie Hall to represent Bossa Nova on the world stage.

SITUATION

Johnnie Walker had lost its position as the most beloved whisky brand in Brazil. Additionally, they were also facing a decline in brand equity.

BRIEF

Our brief was to inspire the public to take bolder steps and never stop moving forward, inspiring them to internalize the values in Johnnie Walker's slogan "Keep Walking". We had to develop an idea that could lend JW cultural relevance, highlighting real stories of bold steps.

OBJECTIVES

Translate the meaning of "Keep Walking" for a new generation and reinforce Johnnie Walker's positioning by associating the brand with the story of a real person who took bold steps throughout their journey.

The strategy was to promote and distribute Alaíde Costa's music and story to as many people as possible to correct the historical error of her having been forgotten by the Bossa Nova movement. And since the media in the past ignored her, our strategy was to give her all the space she deserves in today's media.

We started by buying a two-page ad in the country’s biggest newspaper and turned it into an erratum, or correction, telling the singer's life story. Then we used social media to introduce Alaíde's music to new generations.

The campaign unfolded and became a success. So we took advantage of the momentum to do what seemed impossible: bring Alaíde to finally perform at Carnegie Hall in a commemorative event that celebrated Bossa Nova, a concert at the same venue that had overlooked her 60 years earlier.

To reinforce JW's positioning as a brand that values people who take bold steps, we decided to correct a historical error related to the singer Alaíde Costa, one of the founding mothers of Bossa Nova, who was overlooked by major record labels and the media because she was a black woman.

First, we conducted meticulous research about Alaíde's life and compiled data related to her career. With this information, we were able to retell her story and present her music to millions of people using various media channels, putting Alaíde in the prominent place she always deserved: alongside the other creators of Bossa Nova.

All of this culminated in an invitation for Alaíde to sing at the show in which Bossa Nova returned to Carnegie Hall after 6 decades. The same venue where she had been snubbed when Bossa Nova was introduced to the world.

To kick-start the idea, JW bought two pages in Brazil's biggest newspapers and did what anybody should do when something needs to be corrected: we created an ad – in the format of an erratum – to celebrate Alaíde’s entire career, highlighting how she’d been overlooked by that same newspaper for many years.The ad was a hit and got thousands of people interested in the subject.

Then, we kept up the conversation via social media with several videos and posts that told the singer’s story and presented her music to a broader audience.

In the end, we did what might have seemed impossible. In 1962 Alaíde wasn't invited to sing at Bossa Nova’s world debut at Carnegie Hall. With JW's campaign, and with a little help from the public, she was invited to sing at that same venue in a show that paid homage to the genre, 60 years later.

The idea was a hit, both for Johnnie Walker and Alaíde. It caused a real national commotion and was shared on social media by thousands of people, including many celebrities.

We managed to put the spotlight back on Alaíde. And with JW's help, she was invited to sing at the show that paid tribute to Bossa Nova, at Carnegie Hall. The same venue where she’d once been forgotten.

Now, at age 88, Alaíde is finally getting what she always deserved.

+747% searches on Google.

+318% searches on YouTube.

+800% listeners on Spotify.

+500% invitations to perform at major venues.

+200% increase in her fee.

And Johnnie Walker also continued walking forward.

+ 64MM reach

174 different pieces of content created by influencers and PR

JW regained its lead as the most loved whisky brand in the country.

JW regained its lead as the most distinctive brand in the spirits category.