In 2004 almost everyone in Portugal showed up to support the National Team on their way to play the final of the European Championship in Lisbon (see here) but...we lost.
Four years later we had to show our players we were still there for them on their (well, our!) way to a new European Championship. Galp is an energy company known for its slogan positive energy and one of the main sponsors of the Portuguese team.
Note that Galp has been sponsoring the bus of the Portugal National Team for years.
To support the tv ad, we created a radio campaign using Portuguese players (Deco, Simão, Nuno Gomes and Pepe). The odd thing was that they were discussing figures of speech, which isn’t a common topic between football players.
Nuno Gomes: Deco, do you see this metaphor behind our bus?
Deco: Metaphor? What metaphor, Nuno?
N.Gomes: These people pushing our bus.
Deco: That’s a hyperbole Nuno.
N.Gomes: Sorry, Deco, but a hyperbole is an exaggeration of the reality.
Deco: Right… And 10 million pushing a bus isn’t an exaggeration?
Music: Bob Dylan
V.O. - The BUS called Portugal is filled with the ambition of those who stay and those who go.
Ambition is a positive energy.
Simão: Pepe, what do you think about all these people pushing our bus?
Pepe: I think it’s a beautiful allegory, Simão.
Simão: So, do you believe that this is a figurative representation?
Pepe: Exactly, Simão, a representation of the Portuguese support to our team.
Simão: So, you believe that the people are pushing but aren’t really there?
Pepe: Exactly.
Simão: And isn’t that a paradox?
Music: Bob Dylan
V.O. - The BUS called Portugal is filled with the ambition of those who stay and those who go.
Ambition is a positive energy.
Deco: Simão, I was wondering.
Simão: What is it, Deco?
Deco: Do you see all these people pushing our bus…?
Simão: Yes…
Deco: What is that?
Simão: Don’t worry, that’s just a metaphor.
Music: Bob Dylan
V.O. - The BUS called Portugal is filled with the ambition of those who stay and those who go.
Ambition is a positive energy.
N.Gomes: Simão, Don’t look now, but we are being followed by a gigantic parabola.
Simão: A parabola, Nuno?
N. Gomes: Yes, Simão, lots of people pushing our bus.
Simão: That’s the Portuguese people supporting us, Nuno. That’s the moral of the story.
N. Gomes: Yeah, what a moral!
Music: Bob Dylan
V.O. - The BUS called Portugal is filled with the ambition of those who stay and those who go.
Ambition is a positive energy