When we talk about branded content, it’s common to automatically think of digital, print, or audiovisual formats.

But what happens when we not only need to create and disseminate that content, but also take it to the streets and generate a real movement among the audiences?

That was the challenge the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF) posed to ContentLab of Grupo El Comercio, weeks before the Peruvian national football team’s (La Bicolor) participation in the 2024 Copa América in the United States.

The specific request was to conceptualise and deploy a branded content campaign that would achieve two objectives: strengthen pride in La Bicolor, encouraging fans to attend the farewell match before the Copa América against Paraguay, and generate awareness for the nine sponsor brands of the national team (Adidas, Repsol, Yape, Claro, GWM Peru, Sky Airlines, Backus, Te Apuesto, Big Cola).

To achieve these objectives, ContentLab designed “La Bandera del Aliento” (The flag of encouragement) campaign.

Waving the flag 

The creative concept materialised in a 150-metre-diameter Peruvian flag that travelled through the streets of Lima and some provinces in Peru to collect encouraging signatures from fans.

To gather signatures and spark fan excitement, each sponsor brand had the opportunity to host its own signature event at one of its locations. Before each of these events, ContentLab launched an intense content rollout in the print and digital editions of El Comercio, as well as on social media.

Activations took place at service stations, shopping centres, bank branches, and corporate offices, motivating everyday citizens to create their own content, enriching the campaign with meaning.

Each event was streamed live on El Comercio’s social media channels, as well as those of the FPF and the sponsor brands, helping to amplify the message. ContentLab also launched an intensive campaign in the print and digital editions of El Comercio, with the editorial team contributing diverse content organically.

After collecting more than 10,000 signatures, representatives from the nine sponsor brands handed the flag over to the players of the national team the night before the match against Paraguay in a ceremony known as Banderazo, which means “the flag rally.”

Finally, the flag was displayed on the day of the match in the centre of the field at Estadio Monumental in Lima, in front of 60,000 fans and a television audience of millions.

Continuing beyond the campaign

But the flag’s tour didn’t end there. The FPF decided that the flag would travel to the three cities in the United States where La Bicolor played its Copa América matches. Thus, the flag travelled thousands of kilometres and was displayed during the team’s training sessions and at the flag rallies held in the United States.

The campaign was a success: In just three weeks, ContentLab gathered more than 10,000 signatures (43% above the goal); 60,000 fans attended the stadiums; 16 million people were impacted through El Comercio’s Web site and 1.6 million through the print editions; the videos reached 2 million views (100% above the goal); and the microsite designed for the campaign received 54,000 unique users (54% above the goal).

The Flag of Encouragement was a symbol that not only united Peruvians but also demonstrated that content, when of high value, can go beyond print and digital media and take to the streets, offering visibility and awareness for brands while contributing to a greater purpose.

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