Whatsapp launched its first brand campaign, with an epic branded content short film, online video and TV spot based on a real story of disaster ahead of Brazil’s national celebration: Carnaval.

It centers on the preparations for Carnival, and tells the story of a samba school whose warehouse full of giant, elaborate floats – the results of months of creative work – was destroyed in a fire. Early in the film, the main protagonist is shown to have a rivalry with a man from another school, yet when everything is lost, his rival calls on the community (via Whatsapp) to band together and help the school recover from the disaster. The cinematic film finishes with the tagline: “Rivals in public. Friends in private.” It aims to drive home the platform’s USP: private communication and group collaboration.