GLOBAL – SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, JANUARY 19, 2011 – Lucas Cabral Maciel, a 21 year-old student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), has won DDB Brazil’s student competition and earned the competition’s grand prize: a 99-day world tour to study world trends.
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Lucas, an economics major, was selected by DDB judges to undertake the nine-city, 99-day trip as part of the agency’s celebration of its 21st anniversary. Identifying trends through the lens of a 21 year-old, Lucas will publish his findings in blog posts on www.99novas.com.br and via www.twitter.com/99novas every day. The tour includes stops in London, New York, Paris,Barcelona, Milan, Mumbai, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
"This project offered us incredible insights into Lucas’ generation – a generation that not only wants a job but also to accumulate life experiences," said Sergio Valente, DDB Brazil’s CEO.
In order to participate in the selection process, entrants were required to be 21 years old as of January 9, fluent in English, and be a current college or university student in Brazil. There were more than 4,000 entrants, narrowed first to 99 based on the highest scores achieved in the online test. As part of the competition, each of the 99 students was then asked to produce a 90-second video in English telling DDB why he or she should be selected. Nine finalists were then chosen, asked to create and write a blog entry, and were then interviewed by Valente.
"I’m very anxious," said Lucas before his departure. "It’s a huge challenge to be chosen as DDB Brazil’s trend hunter. But I’m also very excited and confident that I’m ready to do a great job and share all the experiences at 99Novas Blog".
Lucas majors in economics at UFRJ in the mornings and practices circus techniques in the afternoon. His circus skills include: monocycle, juggling, and others. He is fluent in Spanish and French as well as English, and is considered something of a hipster.
Lucas’ first stop is New York, crossing the Atlantic to Barcelona, criss-crossing the continent to Milan, London and Paris. He should be on his way from Paris to Mumbai on March 5, to Bangkok on March 16, Shanghai on March 27, Tokyo on April 7, and back to Sao Paulo on April 18.
At the conclusion of the trip, depending on blog content and results, Lucas will have an opportunity to join DDB Brazil in Sao Paulo, where he has already spent time meeting staff and agency executives, discussing the project, and making final arrangements for the trip.
