The Appropriation of Social Causes by Opportunistic Marketing: How the Image of the Target Audience Can Be Harmed — A Focus on Public Responsibility

Marketing, as a strategic tool, plays a significant role in constructing narratives and shaping collective imaginaries. However, when used opportunistically, it can compromise the social self-esteem of entire groups, especially when it exploits sensitive themes such as emigration, social inequality, or economic crisis. A recent and recurring example is the intense marketing by companies focused on emigration, which promote leaving Brazil for countries like Canada using phrases such as “slide for a better life,” implying that the simple gesture of swiping a finger across a screen would be enough to leave behind an “inferior” life. This seemingly harmless message carries deep and problematic symbolic implications.

By promising a better life in another country, this type of marketing not only exploits the vulnerabilities of those dissatisfied with their current conditions but also reinforces the idea that the country of origin — in this case, Brazil — is a place of failure, stagnation, and lack of opportunity. The impact of this narrative on the collective self-image of Brazilians is significant: it contributes to a widespread sense of national inferiority and devalues local efforts in social, economic, and cultural development. What is being sold is not merely a geographical change, but the idea that Brazil is, and perhaps always will be, insufficient.

This discourse is not neutral. It affects both individual and collective psyches, feeding the imaginary that personal progress is only possible outside national borders. This weakens citizens’ connection to their space, their identity, and their sense of belonging — fundamental elements in building a strong and conscious nation. Although quality of life indicators in countries like Canada are indeed better in many respects, the way this data is used in advertising campaigns must be subject to ethical scrutiny. After all, it’s not just about informing, but about inducing complex decisions through reductive slogans.

The criticism should not be directed at those who wish or choose to emigrate, as mobility is a legitimate right, but rather at the logic of advertising that turns such a decision into a marketable product, packaged as a magical solution to all problems. The phrase “slide for a better life” is part of a superficial logic that ignores the real difficulties of the migration process, such as cultural adaptation, bureaucracy, structural racism, homesickness, and the constant feeling of being “between worlds.” Moreover, it obscures the necessary debate on the causes of social dissatisfaction in Brazil, diverting attention from what could be improved internally.

There is, therefore, a public — ethical and pedagogical — responsibility in the use of social causes in marketing campaigns. By appropriating issues like inequality, insecurity, or lack of opportunity, advertising discourse should not reinforce stigmas or erase the complexity of the local context. On the contrary, it could foster critical thinking, appreciation of national culture, and encouragement of collective solutions. This type of discussion must occupy space in educational settings such as classrooms, especially in subjects like Geography and Sociology, where students can reflect on their position in the world, migratory flows, and the factors that influence personal and collective choices.

Transforming a country requires, among other things, changing how it is perceived by its own people. In this process, public discourse and marketing play a decisive role. When advertising abandons ethics in favor of commercial efficiency, it contributes to the symbolic weakening of the nation and the normalization of escape as the only alternative. Therefore, it is urgent to seriously discuss the boundaries between market freedom and social responsibility, so that marketing is not just a tool of persuasion, but also of awareness.

Not sustainable Travel agency ads in Brazil example: