Paris Hilton makes Devassa a success

In his article on digital marketing, the founder and CEO of a global advertising adaptation network Text Appeal, Elliot Polak, writes:

In the supposedly tolerant market of Brazil, a trendy beer brand, Devassa, used Paris Hilton in a sexy TV ad. It shocked the broad-minded establishment to such an extent that it was promptly banned. Devassa means “bitch” in Portuguese and the TV ad promoted its blond beer with the provocative slogan, “very blond bitch”.

This was not a failure, but a success. The campaign had already been a digital hit, with videos of Paris' night-time, Devassa-sponsored antics being uploaded to YouTube in the three weeks leading up to when the ad was aired. The footage generated a huge Brazilian following and the brand enjoyed a significant growth in sales.

The banning of the TV commercial – which was just one small part of an otherwise digital campaign – produced even more attention for this edgy brand.