Anything-goes Carnival: Playing with the Swiss image

For the Swiss, the anything-goes Brazilian Carnival presents a prime marketing opportunity in one of the world’s biggest emerging markets – and a chance to knock down a few clichés about themselves. The Swiss government and corporate sponsors like Nestlé, Syngenta and UBS paid about a third of the 14 million Brazilian reais (CHF4.5 million) that Unidos da Tijuca, one of the oldest samba schools in Rio de Janeiro and the defending champion of the flagship samba parade, spent this year on the elaborate contest. In exchange for the sponsorship, the school’s dancers donned Swiss-inspired costumes and blended the sensual beat of the samba drum with the colourful floats, while carrying props suggestive of the Alpine nation such as alpenhorns and Swiss flags. Nicolas Bideau, head of Presence Switzerland, which oversees the nation’s image abroad, said the samba school represented the country and introduced the “Swiss made” label to a country where it is virtually unknown … Show more
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Culture
– SWI swissinfo.ch