The Infiltrated Talent • Hacking Prime Time TV With a Unique Brand Ambassador

As the world-famous “Got Talent” series launched its 2023 season in Argentina, capturing a massive nightly viewership of over 15.4 million, we saw a golden opportunity to elevate Mercado Libre's presence in an impactful and creative manner. Together, we crafted a campaign aimed at integrating the retailer into the cultural fabric of prime-time TV, thereby reaching and resonating with an even broader audience than before.

'Did you search it on Mercado Libre?'' is a household phrase in Argentina, where the platform boasts over 4 million active users and is an essential part of daily life. Yet the market is saturated with authoritative influencer voices on social media, and our challenge was to stand out with a brand ambassador of our own. We wanted to build an identity that was both relatable and iconic, so we created the ultimate online shopping guru with a unique talent: An "Ecommerce Professional Searcher," or Mercadolibrólogo. This character was meticulously designed to appeal specifically to tech-savvy, shopping enthusiasts within the critical 18 to 35 demographic that dominates the Got Talent Argentina audience.

In order to transform this unknown figure into a television star, we infiltrated him on Got Talent’s casting and he got selected, making a striking debut on the show's stage. Over the course of five prime-time appearances, he showcased his unique talent by navigating Mercado Libre's platform in real-time, turning standard ecommerce interactions into compelling TV moments that highlighted the platform's user-friendliness and efficiency. This strategic placement not only showcased his ecommerce expertise but also significantly amplified Mercado Libre's online presence, effectively engaging an even larger audience.

The introduction of the Mercadolibrólogo as a brand ambassador on the Got Talent stage set a new standard for how ecommerce platforms can interact dynamically with a broader audience. This innovative character bridged the gap between traditional television advertising and modern digital interaction, creating a narrative that viewers could follow both on-screen and online. By embodying the brand’s core values and speaking directly to the tech-savvy demographic, the Mercadolibrólogo became a living symbol of Mercado Libre's commitment to convenience, reliability and user-centric solutions. His presence on social media turned simple product searches into exciting discovery journeys, thereby reinforcing the brand's image as an integral part of the digital lifestyle of millions fortifying Mercado Libre's engagement with a digitally native audience.