Café Pelé made commuters yawn before offering them a coffee

A man on a digital screen looks sleepy. As commuters approach, he starts yawning. Soon, people standing nearby are doing the same.

Then the screen changes its message: “Did you yawn too? It’s time for coffee.”

Café Pelé’s “The Contagious Billboard” turned that sequence into an interactive activation at Fradique Coutinho station on São Paulo’s metro in 2015. Created by Lew’Lara\TBWA, the campaign connected a familiar human reaction with a product sample delivered at the right moment.

A presence sensor starts the interaction

The installation used a digital panel equipped with a presence sensor. When someone came close, the actor on screen began yawning repeatedly.

That simple action gave passers-by something to respond to without asking them to scan a code, download an app or press a button. Approaching the advertisement was enough to begin the experience.

The creative idea relied on contagious yawning: seeing someone yawn can prompt another person to do it too. Commuters’ reactions became part of the scene around the display.

The screen supplied the cue, while the people nearby supplied the response.

The coffee arrives after the reveal

Once the yawning sequence had played out, the panel introduced Café Pelé through its coffee message. Brand representatives then distributed coffee to commuters.

The sampling completed the idea. People could move from watching the screen to receiving the product within the same encounter.

That sequence gave the coffee a clear reason to appear. The campaign first established a moment associated with sleepiness, then connected the brand to a familiar response: having a coffee.

A yawn alone does not establish that someone needs caffeine. The activation used the association as a playful advertising device, with the sample providing a tangible end to the interaction.

The station becomes part of the execution

A metro station gives an outdoor advertisement an audience in motion, with people passing through or waiting nearby.

The presence sensor allowed the display to respond to that movement. The campaign did not depend on every commuter arriving at a fixed start time; it could introduce its opening action as people approached.

The case film brings the mechanism together through the screen, commuters’ reactions and the coffee distribution. Each stage helps explain the next.

Café Pelé’s product message lands after the audience has participated in the setup. The billboard makes a small event out of an everyday gesture, then gives the brand a place within it.

Credits

Brand: Café Pelé. Client: Cia Cacique de Café Solúvel. Advertising agency: Lew’Lara\TBWA, Brazil. Chief Creative Officer: Manir Fadel. Creative leadership: Felipe Luchi. Copywriter: Lucas Veloso. Art Directors: André Mezzomo and Digo Souto. Film Production: Conspiração Filmes. Film Director: Gabriel Ghidalevich. Director of Photography: Neirin Jones. Editor: Bernardo Jucá. Sound Production: MugShot.