São Paulo – Innovative, impactful solutions to surprise the target public and generate excellent results for clients. Such is the promise of Biruta Mídias Mirabolantes, an agency specializing in unconventional marketing, i.e. the type that does not buy space in television, magazines, radio or newspapers. Established seven years ago by four young entrepreneurs, after willing awards and domestic recognition, it sets out to conquer the foreign market.
Brazil has been confirmed as the host country to the FIFA World Cup 2014 and the 2016 Olympics, and this was the sign that the agency’s owners needed in order to envision actual opportunities beyond the Brazilian borders. Next year, they will pack all of their team’s talent and creativity into bags, and set out to seek foreign companies interested in advertising products and brands in Brazil.
"The world is looking at Brazil, and 2011 will be the year for establishing partnerships and reaping fruits abroad," says Rômulo Grosman, Biruta’s relations director. "We are still deciding our route, but we will certainly go to Europe, the United States and any other country that shows interest in advertising in Brazil," he claims.
The agency also plans on establishing an office abroad. "This is a project that should be carried out in the medium to long term. It will probably be in Portugal," he says.
In addition to national advertising prizes, the company’s innovations resulted in a nomination for this year’s Cannes Luins International Advertising Festival. The first action of Biruta was a Summer Project for newspaper O Dia, in Rio de Janeiro. Several vendors offered newspapers by the beach and on the adjoining sidewalk.
"On Sundays, newsstands close earlier, and people have trouble buying the newspaper. The action boosted Sunday newspaper sales by 15%. It lasted three months and was repeated for three consecutive years," says the businessman.
Another action that created much impact was Shell gas station network’s Pit Stop, promoted in São Paulo during the Formula 1 races in the city. "When people stopped at traffic lights, they would be surprised by a team that simulated changing tyres, and by ladies carrying umbrellas who would serve water and peanuts," says Grosman. "The Pit Stop was repeated for three years in a row, and was named the world’s best low-cost action," he celebrates.
Recently, Biruta created a campaign for dating website Par Perfeito, which mobilized over 5,000 single people, who took part in the March of the Boy/Girlfriendless in the streets of Rio de Janeiro. As a result, the number of people registering on the site increased by 40%.
The beginning
When they came together to establish Biruta, partners Rafael Liporace, Romulo Groisman, Matheus Meirelles and Alan James went to work in a small room that was previously the bathroom of a university incubator. The most curious thing is that the personal history of one of them, Alan James, was what brought the four youths together.
Alan was a poor boy who lived in the slums and quit school in order to work. He struggled to find his passion, and his restlessness led him through a variety of jobs, including lamp salesman, race mechanic and even aircraft mechanic at an aerospace advertising company.
When he resorted to a business incubator seeking support and training, he met his future partners. The first one was Matheus, who used to work at the higher education institution Ibmec’s Junior company. Rafael and Rômulo, both holding degrees in communication from advertising and marketing school ESPM in Rio de Janeiro, worked for companies in the industry.
Upon learning of Alan’s project, both decided to quit stable jobs to bet on the new enterprise. Now, they work at a big house in Santa Teresa, a central neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. The agency also has offices in São Paulo, in the state of the same name, and Fortaleza, in the state of Ceará, and employs 60 people.
For the second year in a row, Biruta was named best company in Rio for young people to work for. The result was announced in the survey Melhores Empresas para Trabalhar – Rio de Janeiro 2010 (Best Companies to Work For, elaborated by Great Place to Work, a global company specializing in working environments.
Contact
Site: www.biruta.com.br
E-mail: atendimento@biruta.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
