Ogilvy Brazil – The day Brazil woke up to English – Red Balloon Background Brazil is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but only a little more than 5% of Brazilians speak English. For Brazil to be more competitive in the future, its children need to master English. But, how could Red Balloon, an English school for children, point out this issue?   Idea They created a piece specifically for 132,000 subscribers to the most traditional newspaper in Brazil, the 'Estado de São Paulo' (the equivalent of The New York Times). On January 31st 2011, back to school day, each subscriber received the newspaper at their homes with the cover page written entirely in English. A team of Red Balloon teachers worked around the clock translating the cover news in real time. They used the same content and design as the original cover to reinforce the importance of knowing English. To clear up the confusion, they added this footer: 'Didn't get it? Ask your kid for help. Red Balloon. English for kids.' Results In that day, 132,000 subscribers were impacted and calls to the Red Balloon Call Center increased 150%. In the following week, a residual of a 65% increase calls occurred.

Ogilvy Brazil – The day Brazil woke up to English – Red Balloon