The Situation

BRF Global, one of the world’s largest food companies, partnered with the Brazilian Embassy in Manila to build brand awareness in the Philippines. The problem was structural: BRF‘s products were sold exclusively to large corporations, not retail consumers. Nothing sat on grocery shelves. Filipino shoppers had no way to encounter the brand in their daily lives.

That made this a fundamentally different awareness challenge. Most food brand campaigns drive trial by pointing people to a store. BRF couldn’t do that. The campaign had to build brand recognition and positive perception for a product line that the public couldn’t buy directly, turning familiarity into a long-term asset for BRF‘s B2B positioning in the market.

The Approach

Phase 1: Lifestyle Micro-Influencer Selection

Selected five lifestyle micro-influencers across Facebook and Instagram: Jo Sebastian, Mich Oliva, Bernice Miranda, Enzo Bonoan, and Anjo Resurreccion. Each was chosen for their credibility in the health and lifestyle space, where food origin and quality are topics their audiences already engage with.

Phase 2: Content Framing Around Food Origin & Healthy Living

Built the campaign message around knowing where your food comes from, tying BRF‘s products to the broader concept of a conscious, healthy lifestyle. This positioned Brazilian food culture as aspirational without requiring a hard product sell, since the audience couldn’t purchase the products at retail anyway.

Phase 3: Creator-Led Content Production & Distribution

The influencers produced native content across Facebook and Instagram using formats like “What I Eat in a Day,” “Five Healthy Habits,” and “Come Work Out with Me.” Each piece integrated BRF products naturally into personal routines, making the brand association feel authentic rather than sponsored.

The Results

• 43,579 Total reach across all influencer content
• 44,113 Total impressions generated from the campaign
• 5 Lifestyle micro-influencers activated across Facebook and Instagram

Campaign Highlights:

• Joint initiative between the Brazilian Embassy and BRF Global for Philippine market awareness
• Content formats included “What I Eat in a Day,” “Five Healthy Habits,” and workout videos

• Campaign built brand perception for a product line with zero retail presence in the Philippines
• Influencer content positioned Brazilian food culture as part of a health-conscious lifestyle
• Authentic creator integration ensured content resonated as personal recommendation rather than advertising

The Takeaway

When a product has no shelf presence, the campaign has to sell the culture the product comes from. BRF couldn’t point anyone to a grocery aisle, so it made Brazilian food culture part of the Filipino lifestyle conversation instead. Brand familiarity became the product.

• Industry: F&B, Public Sector
• Service: PR & Digital Campaigns
• Solution: For International Brands Entering PH

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you build brand awareness for a product that isn’t available in stores?

Focus on brand perception and cultural association rather than purchase conversion. When the audience can’t buy the product directly, the campaign’s value is in building recognition and positive sentiment that supports the brand’s B2B relationships and future retail entry.

Why use micro-influencers instead of larger creators for a food brand campaign?

Micro-influencers in lifestyle niches produce content that feels personal and trustworthy. For a brand without retail distribution, authenticity matters more than reach. A smaller audience that genuinely engages with the content builds more durable brand perception than a large audience that scrolls past it.

What content formats work best for food brand awareness on social media?

Day-in-the-life and routine-based formats like “What I Eat in a Day” perform well because the product appears as a natural part of someone’s life. The format does the selling without making the content feel like an ad.

Can an embassy partner with a private company on a brand campaign?

Yes, and it’s increasingly common for trade promotion. Embassies have a mandate to support national brands abroad. Partnering with a specific company gives the campaign commercial focus while the embassy provides institutional credibility and cultural framing.