Havaianas has named Gut as its first global creative agency of record.
The three-month review, run by consulting firm Scope, spanned more than 40 agencies across Europe, the U.S., and Asia.
“[The pitch process] was very thorough,” Rafael Souza, global brand director for Havaianas, told ADWEEK. “What made us gravitate towards Gut was the fact that they are super bold [and bring] those ideas that really break the clutter. I won’t outspend my global competitors, so I need to outpace them creatively—and that’s what Gut does brilliantly.”
The appointment marks the Brazilian flip-flop brand’s first consolidated global creative partnership and signals its ambition to expand from a seasonal shoe into a year-round lifestyle brand. Prior to this appointment, Havaianas had relied on a local Brazilian agency to execute both regional and occasionally global work.
Gut Madrid will lead the account, with support from Gut Amsterdam and its broader network of 10 global offices. Gut will lead strategy and creative development for markets including the U.S., U.K., France, Italy, the Philippines, Thailand, and Australia. The agency’s remit also includes global brand strategy, working in tandem with Havaianas’ São Paulo-based team. Havaianas’ Brazilian business will continue to be handled by AlmapBBDO.
Souza said the decision to launch a global review was driven by a desire to expand Havaianas’ products beyond Brazil.
“Although we have global reach, there is still lots of opportunity to accelerate market share in international markets,” he said. “We crafted a global positioning that is true to the Brazilian roots, but at the same time, it feels very global. Once we had that, we said, ‘Okay, we need a partner who can land this positioning and deploy it internationally.’”
For Carmen Rodriguez, Gut’s global chief growth officer and partner, the brand’s untapped lifestyle potential made it a compelling opportunity. “I remember the first time we were presenting Gut and Havaianas together in a key visual, and it gave me chills,” Rodriguez told ADWEEK. “You can see the potential of taking this iconic Brazilian brand, and turning it into a global lifestyle brand.”
Rodriguez said Gut Madrid was chosen as the lead office due to its centrality across global time zones, but stressed that the agency’s approach would be decentralized and nimble. “We are 0% bureaucracy, 100% agility,” she said. “We have people from Amsterdam, the U.S., Asia—everyone is supporting this. The way the challenge is put for [Havaianas] is the same challenge for us. Their business challenges are now our business challenges.”
