Ler Faz Crescer / Read to a Child

Read the campaign story

Itaú's reading initiative connected a simple adult behavior with the distribution of physical books. PublishNews reported the Ler Faz Crescer program in 2010, describing a free kit of children's books accompanied by reading guidance. Later Exame coverage documented a 2014 campaign encouraging adults to read to children. These are stages of a continuing initiative, not evidence of two unrelated campaign families competing for separate places in the library.

The communication offered more than an abstract endorsement of literacy. A book kit could help an interested adult move from agreement to action, while guidance made the intended use clearer. The invitation to pass books along after reading also extended the idea beyond the first recipient. The brand's role was therefore partly logistical: it helped put a relevant resource within reach, rather than relying only on a film asking people to care.

The mechanism was the alignment of a message, an enabling object and a repeatable habit. Reading to a child is easy to state but depends on time, suitable material and confidence. A campaign that supplies one of those missing pieces can make its invitation more practical. This does not mean distribution alone creates a sustained reading routine; the resource still has to fit the household and be used in a supportive way.

For a smaller organization, a comparable approach could involve partnering with a library to help adults discover appropriate books and understand how to borrow them. The useful design question is what prevents the intended behavior today. A promotional giveaway should be selected because it removes that obstacle, not because it is easy to print with a logo. Instructions, language availability and fulfilment capacity are part of the experience.

The opened reporting establishes the historical initiative and later communication, not independently measured improvements in children's literacy or a causal benefit to the bank. Historical free-book arrangements should not be advertised as currently available without checking. Evaluation should avoid collecting unnecessary information about children and distinguish resources delivered from resources used. An adult's feedback on whether the material was understandable and useful can help improve the program without turning a family activity into a data-gathering exercise.

Supply the missing resource

A message becomes more actionable when the practical obstacle is addressed.

Design for repeated use

Distribution is only the start of a habit, not proof that it formed.

Keep measurement proportionate

Useful adult feedback does not require collecting private information about children.

A small test for another brief

Help adult caregivers discover a local library’s reading resources.

Measure adult understanding and usefulness of the guide.

Stop if the offer exceeds library capacity or requires unnecessary child data.

• Ask the library which existing resources are available.
• Create a clear adult-facing borrowing and reading guide.
• Test the guide without collecting child-level information.