DDB Brasil Will Select a 21-Year-Old Student to Travel to Nine Cities Across the World in Search of Trends

SAO PAULO, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- DDB Brasil, one of the largest and most awarded ad agencies in Brazil, marked its twenty-first birthday September 19, and is celebrating by continuing the 21 theme with a competition for 21-year-olds. The digitally based competition supported by face-to-face interviews will select a 21-year-old student attending a Brazilian university or college for a trends-based research project, spanning nine cities over 99 days. The winning student will visit London, New York, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Mumbai, Bangkok, Shanghai, and Tokyo.

The selection process started, September 28, at www.99novas.com.br, with the winner scheduled to depart on January 9, 2011.

"DM9 has been breaking new ground for the 21 years since its founding as DM9DDB. We are constantly searching for new trends, new thoughts, new ways of looking at the world. This time, we are doing so through the lens of the 21-year-old who, like our 21-year-old brand, wants to build a future that is bright, bold and culturally aware," Sergio Valente, DDB Brasil's President, said.

The backpacking trip will be paid for by DDB Brasil, whose staff will provide support to the winning entrant. The student will be required to publish daily posts revealing discovered trends that will be shared on a public-access blog. At the end of the trip, depending upon blog content and results, the student will have a chance join DDB Brasil in Sao Paulo.

In order to participate in the selection process, applicants must meet several requirements, including:  registration; be 21 years of age or older as of January 9; have fluency in English; and be able to provide proof of current, full-time attendance at a college or university in Brazil. Students from all undergraduate courses accredited by the Ministry of Education may enter the competition. After registering, students will have to take an online general knowledge quiz. The 99 students with the highest scores earned in the shortest amount of time will then move on to the second phase of the selection process.

In the second phase, the 99 selected students will have to prove their English language fluency.  Each will be asked to produce a 90-second video in English about a topic that will only be revealed that day and then give an online interview in English.

In the third phase, the number of participants will be cut to nine and each student will be asked to create a blog. The task here is very similar to what the winner will have to perform every day of the 99-day trip. The finalists in this round will be invited to an interview at the agency's office in Sao Paulo.

A winner will be announced by early December and that person will spend five days at the agency's office in order to meet the people working there, talk to the agency's executives, discuss the project, and plan for the trip.

DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.

DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc. (www.ddb.com) ranks among the top five consolidated advertising and marketing services global networks, according to Advertising Age. Consistently one of the most creatively awarded networks globally, DDB was Campaign's 2009 Global Network of the Year and captured both the Cyber Grand Prix and Film Craft Grand Prix at the 2010 International Advertising Festival in Cannes. With more than 200 offices in over 90 countries, the DDB Group helps grow the value and influence of leading brands around the world. We believe that creativity is the most powerful force in business, allowing us to develop the ideas that people want to play with, participate in and pass along. We call this Social Creativity which results in ShareValue, the powerful combination of influence within social communities and tangible business performance. DDB Worldwide is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC).

SOURCE DDB Worldwide Communications Group Inc.