TV Character ‘Creates’ Real Car Ads in Reality-Bending First

Brazilian soap operas, or telenovelas,  are famous all over the world for their melodrama, absorbing characters and engaging storylines. And while they’re broadcast in over 140 countries, the humble soap opera remains a national passion for Brazilians at home.

So, when Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD arrived in Brazil in 2024, with big ambitions to become the number one EV brand in the country and democratise electric mobility, the Sao Paulo-based creative agency, We, saw an opportunity to reach a daily audience of millions – in an unconventional way.

We and BYD partnered with TV Globo, the second largest television broadcaster in the world. They planned to advertise during the channel’s soap opera, ‘Renascer’ (‘Rebirth’), a 2024 series based on the 1993 telenovela of the same name. However, the BYD ads were not shown in the commercial breaks.

Instead, the innovative partnership saw a character within the show itself – a fictional CCO called Eriberto Ramos – create, pitch and produce genuine BYD campaigns created by the brand’s real-life marketing team. 

“BYD has innovated with an unprecedented action in the history of global TV shows,” said We's CCO, Armando Araujo. “For the first time, a character presented real campaigns created behind the scenes during a Soap Opera as if it were his own.”

As part of the show’s plot, the soap opera’s audience experienced various BYD marketing initiatives in great detail, including TVC spots, POS materials and branded content. The Eriberto character even took part in a crossover activation, appearing on the Globo TV gameshow ‘Sunday with Huck’, and even visited BYD showrooms in the show.

In total, there were 24 integrated activations, blurring the lines between entertainment and marketing, and making BYD the leading brand for electrified vehicles in Brazil. The campaign garnered over 700 million impressions online, increased new customers in store by 45%, and saw an 8x rise in search for the brand with real purchase intention.

This overcame the project’s biggest challenge, which Armando reported was a “lack of trust” in Chinese car brands following previous experiences that left consumers in disbelief regarding the quality of the vehicles. With this in mind, the ability to bring BYD into the everyday lives of millions of Brazilians was vital in breaking the barrier of distrust, and sharing the brand’s messaging of innovation, accessibility and sustainability.

If BYD wanted its cars to be part of Brazilian people's lives, the brand needed to be present in their everyday routine for real. And, as We discovered, in Brazil, the way to do this is to enter ‘The Soap Operaverse’.