Influencers Reap $1 Billion Fortune With Brazil Pharma Business
Joao Adibe Marques has used big marketing plays to grow his company’s reach. His oversharing online and roster of family employees could be a hurdle should the company ever go public.
Joao Adibe Marques, chief executive officer of Cimed.
Photographer: Tuane Fernandes/Bloomberg
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Pharma CEO Joao Adibe Marques didn’t appear on billboards or commercials to convince Brazilians to buy his products. He instead went on a soap opera.
On a recent episode of “Fuzuê,” he played the role of a salesman at Cimed — his real company — and boasted about the benefits of vitamins to two other characters. He wore his company’s bright yellow polo shirt, a staple of his wardrobe and a constant presence on his social media feed.