With art and imagination, anything is possible

With art and imagination, anything is possible.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

This month, a "Portugal Sou Eu" campaign is running on television, radio, and digital media. Nothing new, and nothing that isn't recommended during this damned pandemic. I mention the campaign not for its clear relevance, but for the exceptional conditions under which it was made.

I was in the middle of lockdown, after the state of emergency had already been declared, when I received a call from the coordinator of the "Portugal Sou Eu" program informing me that the partnership had decided to immediately launch an advertising campaign to promote the consumption of Portuguese products. My first reaction was to ask, "How?!" They then asked me to contact all the program's Ambassadors to provide us with films and photographs that could be worked on in back office by an advertising agency, since there was no possibility of collecting images or recording sounds live.

I confess I had serious doubts about the outcome of this hodgepodge, a patchwork quilt where the boot would hardly match the partridge. Moreover, my mission was to convince various public figures that this project would be a success if everyone collaborated. With the help of a well-structured briefing and a lot of inspiration, I contacted the Ambassadors and their agents, showing that I was convinced of this national emergency.

The first surprise I had was the almost universal support from the Ambassadors. In record time, I received high-quality photographs and videos, even though all my contacts were completely confined to their homes. The second surprise was to find that public figures of undeniable notoriety agreed to have their image associated with that of another Ambassador, possibly a competitor, showing that, in a moment like the one we are going through, we must join forces in defense of the national interest. The unlikely pairing of Cristina Ferreira with Fátima Lopes surprised me the most, since prominent figures from competing television channels accepted this challenge without hesitation. Finally, I must highlight the exceptional production and directing work carried out by a team I barely know. Indeed, with art and imagination, anything is possible! Just look:

      

Rosário Louro

Diretora-Geral