Johnnie Walker’s recognition of Alaíde Costa wins Music Grand Prix

A forgotten legend of bossa nova finally received a rightful moment on the center stage through a campaign from Johnnie Walker and agency AlmapBBDO, honored as the Music Grand Prix winner at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday. Alaíde Costa is considered one of the founding mothers of bossa nova, the Brazilian mashup of North American jazz and Rio de Janeiro’s samba that emerged in the late 1950s. With distinct rhythms and improvisational, whispering vocals, bossa nova developed into a unique musical style that captured the world’s attention—in part through a 1962 performance at Carnegie Hall in New York. Cannes Lions coverage See all of the Grand Prix winners here Top 5 Grand Prix campaigns That concert showcased pioneers of the genre in Brazil including Tom Jobim, João Gilberto, Sérgio Mendes, and Carlos Lyra—all white men. But not Costa, a Black woman. Being excluded from the bossa nova clique cost her attention of media outlets and record companies. But she has continued to sing into her 80s, because as she said, “a Black woman ought to sing samba.” When Costa was not invited to a 2023 Carnegie Hall show commemorating the 1962 performance, Johnnie Walker and AlmapBBDO took action, seeing a powerful fit for its “Keep Walking” campaign, which celebrates people’s journeys. Seeing the opportunity to right a historic wrong, the Diageo-owned whiskey brand bought a two-page ad in a Rio de Janeiro newspaper presented as an errata, or correction. “We made a mistake,” it began. The brand sponsored Costa’s inclusion in the Carnegie Hall show bill. Her performance there drew three minutes of sustained applause and coverage in a variety of outlets celebrating the reparation for the 88-year-old singer. Searches for Costa’s music increased by 318% on YouTube and listeners on Spotify increased by 800%. Costa saw invitations to perform at major venues increase by 500%—and her fee increase by 200%. Johnnie Walker regained its lead as the preferred whiskey brand. Gold winners Two campaigns took home Gold Lions in the category:

Johnnie Walker’s recognition of Alaíde Costa wins Music Grand Prix

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