Pingo Doce capitalized on the viral trend. But did it miss a marketing opportunity?
A woman improvised a line about Pingo Doce in the middle of a Bluay concert, and the brand responded well on social media. But responding well is only the first step. This article explains why there was room to go much further.
There are moments that no marketing team can plan for. And there are moments when the best a brand can do is quickly figure out what just happened.
That’s exactly what happened at the Bluay concert in Cais do Sodré, when a woman jumped on stage, snatched the microphone from the artist’s hands, and improvised a very specific line: “What’s in your car? Pingo Doce.” The video spread rapidly across social media and turned a line made up on the spot into a viral sensation.
Pingo Doce recognized the opportunity and responded: it reposted the video on its own account and added the caption “it was hunger speaking.” A quick response that matched the tone of the moment.
But this is where the most interesting part begins: Pingo Doce capitalized on the viral moment, but did it make the most of its full potential?
Being attentive isn’t the same as having a strategy
At that moment, Pingo Doce received something that usually costs brands a lot of money: spontaneous, large-scale attention.
The brand name was being repeated, shared, and discussed. The connection had already been established by the audience itself, and—unlike a traditional campaign—there was no need to pay to put Pingo Doce at the center of the conversation.
Opportunities like these don’t come along every day. And when they do, the question shouldn’t just be how to react, but what to do with the attention you’ve gained.
The problem wasn’t the response. It was stopping there
Pingo Doce’s reaction was quick and lighthearted. But the phenomenon continued to grow, and other brands began adapting the viral phrase to their own worlds.
McDonald's Portugal, Branca de Neve, Ben & Jerry's, Control, Taberna Londrina, and even the PSP found different ways to join the conversation—some through humor, others by adapting the phrase to their own messaging.
This is where there’s an important difference between capitalizing on a moment and turning that moment into a marketing opportunity.
Pingo Doce had a clear advantage: its name was right there in the phrase that went viral. And you’re left with the feeling that there was room to take it further.
What if Pingo Doce had kept the conversation going?
The moment could have been turned into a small campaign.
They could have created content that directly addressed the viral question, brought the joke into the stores, or creatively showcased the products that “are in the car.” They could also have invited the community to keep the joke going, making followers part of the conversation.
That doesn’t mean all these ideas were necessarily good or that they should have been implemented. It just means there was room to think beyond the first post.
Because the true value of real-time marketing isn’t just about reacting quickly. It’s about knowing what to do after the reaction.
Virality without a strategy fades quickly
Viral content can generate a lot of visibility and fade from people’s memories just a few days later.
That’s why, when a brand jumps on a trend, the question shouldn’t just be: “How can we participate?”
But rather: “How can we turn this attention into something that continues to make sense for the brand?”
Not all trends are worth capitalizing on. But when a connection already exists—and was created by the audience itself—ignoring its potential is also a choice.
The real work begins after you join the conversation
The Bluay episode highlights an increasingly relevant reality in marketing: not everything can be planned in advance, but how you react is also part of the strategy.
The challenge isn’t predicting what the next viral phenomenon will be. It’s being observant enough to recognize it, figure out if it makes sense for the brand, and know how to capitalize on the opportunity.
Perhaps that’s the biggest lesson “What’s in the car?” teaches brands: when the public hands you a communication opportunity on a silver platter, it’s not enough to just respond well. You have to know what to do with it afterward.
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