Being able to speak at the biggest innovation and creativity event in Rio de Janeiro, Rio2C, is a challenge that opens many doors to reconnect and reflect on where we are and where we are going. When we talk about branding, looking back to reclaim our history and values is fundamental. However, looking back only helps us establish our roots so that they can be given new meaning for the future.  

The future is a constant exercise in looking ahead. And only by looking ahead and setting some goals can we assess where we are in the present. Only then can we recognize if we are evolving as individuals, as an organization, and, at the end of the day, as a country. 

In this dialectical journey where branding interacts with culture, culture in Brazil has been raising important issues that structurally impact our identity. We can see this most clearly, for example, in Carnival. It, in some way, signals how we are changing and responding to new demands.  

What was most evident on the avenue this Carnival was our history being retold and given new meaning through our African ancestry. There, on the avenue, most of the themes rescued and integrated this part of the culture that had never been told before. When Grande Rio brings Exu to the avenue, opening new conversations with all the floats, recycling and creating a new language, we see that we are evolving. 

We have new idols finding space and recognition in the globalized world. Anitta and Pabllo Vittar at Coachella, showcasing diversity, the favela, reclaiming the colors of the flag that were stolen from us in recent years. We have the representation of two great visual artists reinterpreting colonized and tropical Brazil, with Beatriz Milhazes and Adriana Varejão. And, at the same time, Maxwell Alexandre questioning the concept of "pardo" (mixed-race). Brazilian art at the Venice Biennale, with Jaider Esbell and Rosana Paulino, also portrays our Black and Indigenous roots. We have leaders like Edu Lyra, from the NGO Gerando Falcões, creating a global movement for Favela 3D and featured in the "Mars is Here" campaign. 

Finally, culturally we are gradually reconnecting with our history and creating an identity for a more inclusive Brazilianness. When we transpose this to organizations, we see many of these issues present as well. The importance of diversity in companies has been seen as an engine for innovation and, when we deal with ESG, we understand the commitment to bringing about a real impact.  

Furthermore, we have evolved from 20th-century marketing, with its four Ps – Product, Price, Place, and Promotion – to three new Ps: Product, People, and Purpose.  

Product: This remains a fundamental deliverable. Without a good product or service, you won't get anywhere.  

People: Understanding how we generate genuine brand identification and the significant challenge of building customer loyalty by creating an emotional connection is fundamental to constructing value.  

Purpose: What is the role of the organization in contributing positively, mobilizing people towards more conscious forms of consumption and production? This challenge encompasses all the premises for building a powerful ecosystem that fosters a more sustainable worldview. 

When we look at Brazilian brands that are, in a way, responding to these branding challenges in Brazil, we notice that they perform well in the three Ps and are beginning to emerge as global forces.  

We can cite some brands that have evolved in this construction, such as Natura, which is in 5th place in the ranking of the most valuable brands in Brazil, positioning itself as a global brand and finding its way. 

We also see Havaianas performing well as a product we love, generating great identification with the free-spirited Brazilian lifestyle, creating a global path well aligned with its origins – and that seems to be a strength. 

Now, we face the challenge of the national team jersey, Brazilian identity imprinted on its path of talent, determination, and passion, despite some setbacks in building value. But if it understands the best of our Brazilian spirit, it can reclaim the podium of a beloved brand. Thus, we continue to reinvent ourselves when we manage to value the past, but thinking about the future to recognize that, today, it is the present that matters. 

We still have a long way to go in bringing the value of Brazilian identity to the world, both as a country and as an organization. We are ranked 13th among the world's largest economies, and we don't have a single Brazilian brand among the 300 most valuable. This task remains our homework.