In Brazil football makes the heart beat faster. Far more than mere entertainment the sport connects fans and teams while creating endless opportunities for brands to make their mark on shirts and television screens at the stadium during half time and even throughout post match interviews.
The landscape is so fertile for advertising that many betting firms spotted a massive growth opportunity in the country. This led to an explosion of sponsorships on the pitch even amidst scandals involving match fixing.
A broken connection
As betting regulations advanced in the country even more companies began competing for space in football leading to a saturated market for fans. In the top flight ninety per cent of clubs now have shirts sponsored by betting houses.
Coupled with recent scandals this environment has produced the opposite of the intended effect. It has distanced football from what it truly represents to Brazilians and turned it into a transactional setting rather than a place for leisure. For brands this presented a fresh challenge of how to stand out amongst so many competitors offering essentially the same value proposition.
This insight shaped the campaign created for Betfair titled Betfera of the Month transforming sponsorship into belonging which was a finalist at the PRWeek Global Awards 2026.
Behind the campaign
At Sherlock Communications we believe that building a successful campaign in a new country requires a deep understanding of its culture and nuances. Simply replicating or translating existing adverts does nothing to differentiate a brand. Instead we sought a new concept rooted in regional passion.
To drive the campaign we asked Betfair to take a step back and join us in diving into the lives and beliefs of fans from two major Brazilian clubs Vasco da Gama and Cruzeiro.
We began with field research at the clubs to learn the stories of people involved with the teams on a daily basis. We also opened applications so fans could share their own memories and experiences of football.
We then gathered this material and transformed it into narrative chronicles which were shared through a comprehensive 360 degree strategy.
The story behind the name
The name Betfera was inspired by the word fera which in Portuguese refers to an admirable person and is commonly used to describe exceptionally talented players.
Each month we told the story of a fera such as Dona Bal a 103 year old Cruzeiro fan who has supported the club since its earliest days or Seu Calil da Colina who spent generations taking local kids to the São Januário stadium in his classic Kombi van. There was also Walter who only realised he was short sighted when he could no longer recognise the players on the pitch.
These stories were shared through documentaries and short form social media videos alongside photography and reaction clips allowing the public to see themselves in these characters. Our press releases followed the same principles by delivering authentic and human stories. This encouraged journalists to reach out for more information which in turn generated significant earned media coverage.
Even athletes and executives who rarely stray from corporate scripts began giving personal and spontaneous testimonials about the project reinforcing the core purpose of the campaign.
The results
In a sector so exposed to reputational risk and public scepticism Betfair moved beyond being a mere sponsor to take an active place in football culture. This shift increased public acceptance trust and admiration.
In terms of tangible results Sherlock Communications secured over 410 hits in online publications including OneFootball and O Tempo. On social media the campaign reached 1.6 million people with a four per cent organic engagement rate and twenty four per cent retention. These figures far exceed the usual performance for betting campaigns which are frequently ignored by audiences. Furthermore we generated 320,000 impressions with an engagement rate of 4.5 per cent on profiles that typically reject brand collaborations in this industry.
Ultimately the campaign allowed Betfair to earn emotional legitimacy which is the most valuable asset for any sponsor. The brand is now seen as part of the social fabric of football going beyond commercial superficiality by listening to and valuing the stories of those who truly live and breathe the sport.