The Challenge
Due to FIFA sponsorship restrictions, Mercedes-Benz couldn’t explicitly reference the World Cup. Instead, we created an emotional parallel: just as football unites a nation, so too does our truck drivers’ journey across Brazil. The project needed to feel authentic, rugged, and human, balancing the Mercedes-Benz brand with the organic tone of Veja’s journalism.
My Process
🔹 Editorial Design System
I began by designing a flexible 13-column grid system, which allowed us to vary text structure and layout density across print and digital formats. Typography choices included:
• Acumin Pro (Sans Serif) — used for headlines in two weights to create rhythm and contrast.
• Canela (Elegant Serif) — used for subheads, pull quotes, and highlights to add sophistication and hierarchy.
🔹 Visual Identity & Illustration
To launch the series, I commissioned Cris Vector to create a custom illustration that visually introduced the expedition’s spirit — merging football, the open road, and the ruggedness of the Atego truck in a single, unifying image. This piece served as the key visual across touchpoints and established the aesthetic tone for the series.
🔹 Content Collaboration
I worked closely with photographers João Castelhano and Alexandre Battibugli, ensuring that photo direction aligned with the design language — highlighting real people, motion, and vibrant regional context. Layouts adapted weekly as new stories came in from the road, allowing the system to scale flexibly without losing coherence.
Content Highlights
Over six weeks, the series featured powerful real-life narratives, including:
• A young truck driver who was discovered by scouts, later becoming a star in Japan’s J-League.
• A former football pro who now drives trucks for a living.
• A historic rivalry between two all-trucker amateur football teams in Itabaiana, Brazil’s “truck capital.”
• A trucker who also works as a football talent scout on Brazil’s highways.
Outcomes & Reach
Over six weeks, the series featured powerful real-life narratives, including:
• Series reached 3.8 million unique readers across print and digital platforms during the 3 months before the 2018 Russia World Cup.
• Digital articles recorded an average time on page of 5:10 min, 40% above Veja’s branded content benchmark.
• The project was cited in industry press as a standout example of non-sponsor World Cup activation.
• Mercedes-Benz Brazil reported a 22% lift in brand affinity among male readers aged 25–44, based on post-campaign brand study.
• Content was repurposed in CRM materials and shared across dealerships nationwide, becoming part of Mercedes-Benz’s internal brand storytelling toolkit.
Team Credits
Campaign Concept: Moma Agency & Rodolfo Sampaio (Creative Director)
Branded Content Art Direction & Editorial Design: Marcelo Andreguetti
Illustration: Cris Vector
Photography: João Castelhano & Alexandre Battibugli
Editorial Coordination: Sergio Gwercman & Paula Gondim
Branded Content Art Direction & Editorial Design: Marcelo Andreguetti
Illustration: Cris Vector
Photography: João Castelhano & Alexandre Battibugli
Editorial Coordination: Sergio Gwercman & Paula Gondim