In Brazil, over 200 people go missing every day, yet this public safety crisis goes largely unreported. NGO Mães da Sé, founded by Ivanise Esperidião after her daughter vanished, has spent decades fighting in near-silence, lacking both media exposure and institutional support.
Meanwhile, bootleg T-shirts featuring idols faces have become a vibrant streetwear trend, especially in urban hubs. These shirts are visually striking, culturally relevant, and tap into an obsession with fame in the same streets where people disappeared.
T-SEARCH® emerged as a zero-media-spend initiative to force visibility on missing individuals by replacing idols faces on these bootleg tees with attention-grabbing, fashion designs featuring missing people's faces, along with information on where, when, and how they disappeared. Sold online, the shirts financed their own promotion. High-traffic OOH placements in São Paulo’s metro and bus stations were either funded by T-shirt sales or donated, making the entire campaign fully earned.
The campaign earned nationwide media coverage, infiltrated the political agenda, and gave Mães da Sé the institutional platform it never had before. Ultimately, the campaign connected a street trend to a neglected social crisis— challenging both government and media to address an issue they had largely overlooked.
We built our PR strategy around earned media and public affairs:
By merging the cultural momentum of bootleg T-shirts with institutional lobbying, T-SEARCH® forced an underreported crisis onto the national agenda. Every earned mention in mainstream media further legitimized Mães da Sé and put pressure on political leaders to respond.
Key moments and execution strategies:
Launch: On August 30 (International Day of the Disappeared), mothers and supporters wore T-SEARCH® tees at São Paulo’s Praça da Sé— a poignant, newsworthy event broadcast across TV and social platforms.
Influencer & Celebrity: We sent 500+ T-shirts to celebrities, many of whom wore T-SEARCH® on-air or online, sparking an immediate surge of shared posts.
OOH: Hight-traffic areas such as Bus-stop ads and subway panels were donated or financed by T-shirt sales—ensuring zero paid media.
Public Affairs: Leveraging the campaign’s visibility, our public affairs team arranged Ivanise’s trip to Brasília, where she met with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Human Rights. Marking the first time Mães da Sé had direct dialogue with key policymakers.
Amplification: Rappers released a tribute track, Filhos da Fé, available on Spotify. Stadium screens displayed the campaign film. Earned media grew as each new angle (sports, music, activism) captured public attention.
• Earned Visibility
- 235 million people reached.
- Mainstream media coverage on Globo, SBT, Band, as well as major portals (UOL, Estadão, Valor, Exame) and prime-time radio (CBN).
- No paid placements: all OOH was donated or funded via T-shirt sales, keeping it 100% earned.
- Earned media value - US$ 5 million.
• Engagement
- 500+ influencer kits sparked an organic wave of posts across events, TV, and sports matches.
- A rap track was composed as a tribute, extending the cause into music culture.
- T-shirts sold out online, generating around US$ 8,000 for Mães da Sé.
• Social & Institutional Impact
- During the campaign’s exclusive run (Aug-Sep), five missing people were found, coinciding with T-SEARCH®’s broad visibility; by April, this number rose to 16.
- Shirt sale proceeds continue supporting Mães da Sé.
• Political Breakthrough
- Ivanise met the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Human Rights to underscore the crisis.
- She joined the National Committee for Missing People—representing families on a national stage.
- At a Senate Public Security Commission hearing (invited by Senator Damares Alves), Ivanise discussed missing-person protocols and human trafficking connections.
- Two bills were introduced in Congress:
> PL 4265/2024 (Deputy Adriana Accorsi) – calls for an Unified National Register and psychosocial support;
> PL 182/2025 (Deputy Laura Carneiro) – proposes expanded security-camera usage and facial recognition for search operations.
T-SEARCH® showed how fusing street culture and political advocacy can pave the way toward sustainable change.
