A tradition reimagined through technology
The Bolo-Rei is a Portuguese Christmas tradition with a hidden gift and a fava bean. This project brings the ritual into the digital world. Photograph a Bolo-Rei to unlock a digital gift. No Bolo-Rei? You get the fava. No prize. Just tradition.
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Project Challenges
The challenge was to translate a physical, emotional and collective ritual into a digital experience without stripping it of meaning, while preserving chance, surprise and the logic of the gift and the fava.
The interaction had to be immediate and intuitive: take a photo, get a response. No downloads, no sign-ups, no friction — working seamlessly across devices and in real social contexts.
At the same time, the solution needed to be robust and scalable, prepared for usage peaks and varied image quality, while maintaining visual and editorial consistency.
All of this had to be ready in time for Christmas. As often happens, it’s easy to forget that Christmas arrives every year… always on December 25th.
Solutions
The experience was designed to happen on mobile — the only device that makes sense around a Christmas table — with a simple, fast and frictionless flow.
At its core is an AI model trained specifically to recognize the Bolo-Rei as an object, distinguishing it from visually similar cakes. Photographing an orange cake, for example, does not unlock a gift. You get the fava.
When a Bolo-Rei is correctly identified, the system unlocks a digital gift, presented as a short animated moment inspired by the traditional objects once hidden inside the cake.
The entire platform follows a mobile-first approach, lightweight and accessible, with no downloads, registrations or instructions, designed for real social settings and featuring content created specifically for the festive season and the moment in which it is discovered.
Results
Starting from a creative concept developed by LOLA NORMAJEAN, the project reinterpreted a deeply rooted Portuguese Christmas ritual, adding a new layer of meaning in a contemporary digital context.
The experience was organically shared by the client’s audience and generated buzz in specialised media and advertising press, extending its reach beyond the Christmas table.
For Buzzvel, the project demonstrates the ability to turn a creative idea into a functional and relevant digital experience, through thoughtful UX design and mobile-first technical production, built for real-world use and informal contexts.
More than a prize, the real gift was the idea that was shared.
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Recognition and Achievements
Media Mentions
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"The initiative “O Brinde do Bolo-Rei, Ideas that suit the country well” thus proposes a “contemporary reinterpretation of the ritual”, inviting consumers to photograph a Bolo-Rei with their mobile phone to unlock a digital “toast” that reveals a good idea for Portugal."
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"The giveaway comes in the form of a short animation, a visual homage to the old Christmas cake giveaways, and presents a concrete idea created by university students, startups and early-stage projects, brands, institutions, media partners or ordinary citizens."
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"For decades, the Bolo-Rei in Portugal was accompanied by a moment of suspense and celebration, in which everyone wanted to know who would receive the toast. This gesture has disappeared from Portuguese tables, but the desire to share something meaningful remains. Therefore, the agency brings this tradition back, through ideas with "a positive impact for the country or inspiration for all of us"."
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