PSFK Author:
Lourenço Bustani - Mandalah (PSFK São Paulo)

Those who use the subway system in São Paulo, Brazil, will have a new service from July onwards: bicycles will be available at the main stations of the city center.

The passengers will be able to use the bikes free of charge for 30 minutes and will pay a small fee should they keep it for longer. To have access to the bicycles, passengers will have to sign up to receive an integration card with the subway system. The goal is to encourage the use of bicycles, instead of trains, for short distances, therefore reducing the number of people on the trains.

More details regarding this initiative, such as the quantity of bicycles that will be available, the stations that will take part in the program, and the fee that will have to be paid if the bicycle is kept for more than half an hour, will be defined in May.

Schemes like this one are already taking place in cities such as Amsterdam and Paris. It will be interesting to see if it will work in a country such as Brazil, where petty theft is so rampant as a result of the unequal distribution of wealth. Infra-structure will also be an issue: although government statistics show that there are more than 60 million bicycles in the country (a ratio of one for every three inhabitants), the lack of cycling paths shows that bicycles are only used as a mode of transportation less than 3% of the time.

Contributed by PSFK’s Latin America representatives Mandalah.

Following inline with bike-lending programs popping up throughout Europe in the US, São Paulo will soon be offering bikes-for-borrow at metro stations throughout the capital city. A new service from July onwards will provide bicycles will be available at the main stations of the city center. The passengers will be able to use the bikes free of charge for 30 minutes and will pay a small fee should they keep it for longer. To have access to the bicycles, passengers will have to sign up to receive an integration card with the subway system. The goal is to encourage the use of bicycles, instead of trains, for short distances, therefore reducing the number of people on the trains.

More details regarding this initiative, such as the quantity of bicycles that will be available, the stations that will take part in the program, and the fee that will have to be paid if the bicycle is kept for more than half an hour, will be defined in May. We’ve covered schemes like this one are already taking place in cities like Barcelona and Paris. What will be interesting is to see if it will work in a country such as Brazil, where petty theft is so rampant as a result of the unequal distribution of wealth. Infra-structure will also be an issue: although government statistics show that there are more than 60 million bicycles in the country (a ratio of one for every three inhabitants), the lack of cycling paths shows that bicycles are only used as a mode of transportation less than 3% of the time.

[via FolhaOnline]

With the biggest traffic jams in the world, new social movements aimed at finding alternatives to cars are sprouting in São Paulo. One such movement is the “bicicletada” (Portuguese for “a bicycle ride”) which began in the past few months as a way to encourage Paulistanos - who complain about traffic but, in practice, do very little to combat it - to pick up their bikes and rides.

The goal is to create a critical mass that celebrates freedom from “traffic imprisonment”. Like Critical Mass in the US, the group meets once a month at a pre-determined location in the city and cycles through town causing a more acceptable form of jam — that of actual people on bikes.

The “bicicletada” is still in its embryonic stage and therefore has limited participation, but has definitely shown signs of future growth potential in a city of disenchanted and fed-up drivers.

Source: http://apocalipsemotorizado.net/

One of Unilever’s most renowned brands, AXE deodorant, recently went to market in Argentina with a new product concept and communications strategy. In order to increase consumption of its product, Unilever created “AXE 3”, a combination of two already-existing AXE deodorants mixed into a third fragrance. In order to convey this innovation, Unilever’s agency developed a media-neutral campaign where “mixed fragrances” corresponded to “mixed women.” The idea was to show men the power of mix and matching women with different tastes and preferences.

Initially, the launch consisted of TV and billboards, as well as flyers that showed how men could match up different parts of the female body. The second phase consisted of interactive billboards where men could vote on their favorite combinations through their mobile phones or the AXE website. These virtual combinations then became incorporated by real women who went out to radio shows and strategic points of sale asking men to vote for them. The winning combo was shown on billboards throughout the city of Buenos Aires.

As a result, the campaign reached high levels of awareness and engagement. In Latin America, the campaign generated a 35% rise in consumption per application. Usage in grams increased 50% for the hybrid product and the product’s life cycle reduced by 10 days due to the increased usage. Market share went up 2% with 10% incremental turnover.

At the very least, a great example of how to integrate product and communication concepts.

Canneslions Presentation

Brazil’s place in the web world is undisputed! Despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of its population does not have access to the internet, Brazil beats all other countries in terms of hours spent online. And maybe that’s why Campus Party came to Brazil after a few turns in Spain.

The event happened in São Paulo on the week of February 11th and convened professionals from different areas (astronomy, robotics, open source software, gaming, simulation, computer modeling, music and blogs) to discuss technology, content and entertainment. Participants camped out at the site’s location, where alcoholic beverages and drugs were explicitly prohibited. There were over 360 lectures offered, workshops and debates over the course of one week.

Brazil has hosted what some call the biggest network electronic entertainment event in the world shows how the country is bound to become an incubator of tech projects, as seen by the Center of Advanced Systems in Recife, in the Northeastern state of Pernambuco. Moral of the story: Brazil is consolidating its position as a new global technological pole.

More: here and here.