Site: brava.international

Date: March 2015 / February 2016

What We Did: Our challenge was to create a film to promote the region around Brava Beach. Our response was to turn a location into a destination, by highlighting why this is a special place. So following ‘Place Branding’ principles we searched for ways to further enhance the infrastructure through collaboration and identified seven complementary towns to fit the puzzle that unify the entire region and make up the place we now call ‘Brava International’.

Creation and Direction: Guilherme Meneghelli

Executive Production: Verena Meneghelli

Production: Geneviève Bernardoni

Soundtrack and Mix: Onda Sonora (Mateus Mira and Douglas Narcizo)

Sound Design: Onda Sonora (José Sousa)

Voice: Jesse Lee

Images: Agustin Mica, André Schoenau, Diego Zeferino, Eduardo Meneghelli, Felipe Rodrigues, Guilherme Meneghelli, Marcos Ribas, Pablo Aguiar and Tiago Vaz Carcereri.

Our challenge was to put Brava Beach and region on the world map. To do that, our approach was to investigate all aspects of the region to find the essence that makes it such a special place. Natural resources, economy, behavioural expression and general culture were the identification basis to define Brava International.

Contrary to the popular perception that destination-brand building is solely an exercise in communication, what we applied was an exercise of identification, organisation and coordination of all the variables that have an impact on the destination image and drive desired feelings towards it.

Imagine a place where nature meets modern living, cosmopolitan and community coexist while luxury respects simplicity and economic power comes with quality of life.

It may sound paradoxical but the extraordinary combination of strong economic development, cool lifestyle and pure nature is what makes Brava International an incredible place.

Nature was very generous to this region in Southern Brazil, located in the middle of the Atlantic Forest and bounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Exuberance and beauty are common traits for the 7 cities that together gather more than 70 beaches in over 100km of coast, perfectly balancing different shades of green and blue.

The socio-economic reality of Santa Catarina is one of its greatest differentials. The indexes can be compared to the 25 best countries in the world, with Balneário Camboriú ranking as the 4th best national HDI equivalent to those of Finland and Italy, and also having the second lowest index of extreme poverty in the country.

The GDP per capita of the state is the fourth largest in the country and Itajaí stands out, as the second highest per capita in the state.

In such favorable context, the region attracts large companies making it a viable place for living and working. Itajaí also figures in the Top 15 for investment in the country, while Balneário Camboriú stands out for civil construction, having some of the most modern buildings in Latin America.

Navegantes, Camboriú, Itapema, Porto Belo e Bombinhas complete the infrastructure for economics and logistics offering an airport and ports, plus a wide range of tourism possibilities from adventure to nightlife.

Brava International has excelled over the last few years as a haven for those seeking quality of life, low crime rates and a growing economy.

Very few places offer so many different lifestyles in just one place.

On the streets, luxury cars share space in the landscape with the bike lane and its constant movement.

Balneário Camboriú is non-stop, 12 months a year and 24 hours a day on the go, with endless options for dining and entertainment, including some of the best clubs in the world.

Wild beaches and calmer cities surround the area and the coexistence between the hustle and bustle of downtown and the tranquility of the rest as part of a complete region allow people to enjoy the best of both worlds. This essence defines Brava International as a destination.

To translate all these things into a film, our creative approach was to combine design and nature, and we found that communicating through their own people describing their feelings was the most authentic form.

What we’ve learnt along the process was that essentially this sense of pride and the laid-back and unpretentious nature of the local people were their best assets.