Banco do Brasil invites fans to ‘transfer their support’ to Olympic athletes on WhatsApp

Banco do Brasil is relaying words of encouragement to Brazilian athletes competing half a world away with ‘Cheer Transfer’, a novel way of harnessing its specialism in authenticating financial transactions to instead spread love.

Participants will be able to show their support by sending positive messages to athletes sponsored by the bank through WhatsApp – a novel twist on its use of the app to facilitate person-to-person payments.

Taking this one step further, the bank is encouraging transfers of affection with supporters able to converse with the bank’s Whatsapp bot by typing the word ‘fans’, enabling them to select from a pre-approved list of athletes in beach volleyball and yachting together with a phrase of encouragement. For this fans will receive proof of transfer to cement their support.

Paula Sayão, marketing and communication director at Banco do Brasil, explained: “The idea is to simulate a transfer, but without involving money, just rooted through BB’s bot; an act of kindness that goes beyond the score.

“Banco do Brasil understands sport as an important platform for social integration and this action reinforces the institution’s role as a catalyst for the best and most vibrant moments of Brazilians, which is to be close to their idols, even if at a distance.”

Sleyman Khodor, executive creative director of Lew'Lara\TBWA, added: “After so long with the stands empty, athletes and fans are feeling a lack of contact. It was with this in mind that, together with BB – which has experience and a place to speak with authority in national sport – we used technology to make the fans transfer something more valuable than money to athletes: passion.”

The geography-leveling campaign marks the 30th anniversary of Banco do Brasil’s beach volleyball sponsorship, with a series of events running until December to mark the occasion.