Pago Fácil: Guinness World Record "10 Years of Pago Fácil"
Client: Pago Fácil
Industry: Financial services / extra-banking bill payment
Year: 2004
The Challenge
Pago Fácil, the pioneer of Argentina’s extra-banking bill payment system and the market leader in the category (550 employees, 350 tellers, more than 7,000 additional indirect jobs), turned 10 years old in 2004. The company wanted an original multitarget event that would, for the first time, bring together all of its audiences in a single night (executives, employees from across the country, collection agents, branches, and clients), reinforce the brand’s association with national identity, and generate real press coverage, something a simple anniversary party would not achieve on its own.
The Solution
The event was built around an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the largest number of couples dancing tango simultaneously (the standing dance record at the time was 173 couples dancing salsa, set in Florida, USA, in 2001). An open call recruited 400 tango couples through Buenos Aires’s main tango venues and a cable TV channel (Solo Tango) plus a Canal 9 program. Fifteen days before the original event date (planned at Campo Argentino de Polo), an artistic issue forced a change of venue and date on short notice: the event moved to Luna Park Stadium and was rescheduled to November 8, 2004. An emergency operation (call center outreach, media announcements, and staff stationed at the original venue) ensured that, of 7,500 guests notified of the change, only one person mistakenly showed up at the original location. On the day of the event, 270 couples danced for six minutes to a tango composed specifically for the occasion (“Guinness,” by Erica Di Salvo), with Horacio Ferrer (Academia Nacional del Tango) serving as the official record-verifying witness. More than 6,500 people attended, with catering from Solo Empanadas (over 14,000 empanadas) and Pritty beverages (over 12,000 drinks), closing with a live show by folk group Los Nocheros.
Results
The Guinness World Record was broken with 270 couples dancing tango, far surpassing the previous record. Market research conducted between March and April 2005 recorded 91% brand recall. The company signed more than 100 new collection agreements with other businesses following the event, branch productivity rose 14%, and staff turnover declined. The event received coverage across major print media (Clarín, La Nación, El Cronista Comercial, La Razón), radio (Mitre, Continental, Diez, La Red), and television (Canal 9, Solo Tango).
Notable Details
The operation involved more than 150 people working simultaneously on production, decoration, accreditation, sound, and lighting, with three months of prior planning. Post-event activities included a dedicated thank-you gathering for the dancers with 540 personalized diplomas and a raffle of 10 trips to Iguazú Falls; the production of a DVD (1,000 copies) and a “Tango Guinness” CD (1,000 copies) featuring the song composed for the occasion; and a blind participant who danced in the record attempt, along with couples who traveled from across the country (Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepción del Uruguay, Villa General Belgrano, among other towns) specifically to take part.
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