Augusto Cury changes marketing chief on eve of election ads

Augusto Cury, the Avante party's presidential candidate, has made a significant change to his campaign's marketing leadership just days before the start of free electoral advertising on radio and television. Leandro Grôppo has stepped down from his role as campaign marketer, with Sergio Lima taking over. Lima had previously been involved in the initial stages of Cury's pre-campaign.

Cury's campaign team stated that the alteration followed an internal evaluation of strategies for the upcoming phase of the election. They clarified that there were no conflicts with Grôppo, describing the change as an adjustment in direction for the period of heightened candidate exposure. The campaign informed the press that the decision was a natural one for strategic alignment, without any divergence from the previous professional.

Sergio Lima's return is seen as pivotal, occurring as the election advertising period approaches and Cury's campaign seeks to broaden his visibility among voters. Lima also worked on Jair Bolsonaro's presidential campaign in 2018. Free electoral advertising is set to commence on August 28 and will run until October 1, just three days before the first round of voting. Cury will have slightly over 30 seconds in the block programs designated for presidential candidates.

This move places Cury among several presidential hopefuls who have altered their marketing command during the campaign preparation. Notably, Ronaldo Caiado (PSD) also saw a change in his campaign team in late July. Paulo Vasconcelos departed Caiado's campaign amidst intensifying competition within the right-wing political spectrum and attacks directed at Flávio Bolsonaro (PL). These shifts in marketing leadership are occurring in the final stretch before the crucial radio and television advertising phase, when campaigns gain significant airtime to present candidates, proposals, and communication strategies to the electorate.