How Camesa Drove Growth by Blending Data and Behavior
Richard Batista details customer reactivation, direct-to-consumer sales, and the textile company's international expansion.
Richard Batista breaks down the strategy that boosted Camesa's revenue through direct sales and customer reactivation. The executive shares insights into managing telesales operations, applying design thinking, and expanding into Argentina.
Richard Batista, Head of Performance & GTM at Camesa and founder of Quintal de Negócios, spoke with Bruno Gimenes on Marketing - The Podcast about how he combined his background in psychology with data strategies and telesales to boost the textile manufacturer's commercial operations.
In the video above, Batista details the restructuring of the brand's sales channels, the practical application of design thinking, and the challenges of regional brand localization across Latin America.
Richard Batista's career and background
Batista began his career working for 12 years as a graphic and textile designer, developing licensed product lines for brands such as Disney, Angry Birds, UFC, and CBF in the home textiles segment. After suffering physical injuries to his hands, he decided to pivot his career toward marketing and the study of human behavior, earning a degree in Psychology to apply behavioral principles to performance metrics.
"I decided to study Psychology with that exact purpose in mind—focusing on human behavior, working with people, and translating marketing to understand that performance marketing wasn't just about raw numbers, but that I could incorporate behavioral insights into it," Batista explains.
The Camesa case: direct sales, customer reactivation, and expansion
During the pandemic, Camesa opened direct sales channels for individual consumers and resellers across Brazil's interior, reaching audiences outside major metropolitan centers who relied on supplemental income. The inside sales team, which started with 4 sales reps, expanded to 25 women managing a customer base that reached 20,000 registered individuals—90% of whom were homemakers, teachers, and retirees.
In addition to direct sales, the company discovered that thousands of inactive accounts had stopped buying simply due to a lack of in-person visits from sales reps. By establishing active outreach through CRM workflows and telesales, they reactivated 5,000 accounts, generating nearly 300 million BRL in incremental revenue for the company.
"We focused heavily on the behavioral aspect. I still joke today that 'ugly ads' are the ones that actually convert. We wanted a simple, straightforward message for everyday people who were looking to start a small business," Batista explains when discussing the creative campaigns developed to recruit resellers.
Design thinking, market experience, and segmentation
When discussing sales management, Batista criticizes the overreliance on cold LinkedIn automation and emphasizes the value of design thinking when analyzing internal processes. At Camesa, the telesales team underwent structured training and institutional empowerment, stepping into the role of specialized B2B sales consultants.
Field research also revealed untapped opportunities within traditional commercial hubs. In Ibitinga, a city of 70,000 residents in São Paulo state renowned for its textile production, the company identified a local wholesale shortage of terrycloth and towel products, allowing them to forge direct partnerships with local shopkeepers and marketplace sellers.
"There was internal demand for terrycloth that wasn't being met. As a result, Camesa is now partnered with the top store owners in Ibitinga," Batista shares regarding the on-the-ground market assessment.
Brand longevity and international expansion
With over 40 years of operation in the Brazilian home textiles market, Camesa maintains a brand positioning catering to all consumer tiers. The company pairs wide distribution in major retail chains with investments in B2B digital communications and proprietary manufacturing expansion.
In foreign trade, the brand operates through both white-label exports—standing as the largest exporter of towels to Ecuador, 8% ahead of the second-place competitor—and the introduction of its proprietary brand in Argentina. Expanding into the Argentine market required fine-tuning digital messaging and running neuromarketing tests to align the brand's voice with local cultural habits.
"Argentinian culture is distinct and tied to everyday life. For Argentinians, it's about Messi, tango, and their barbecue culture—it shapes how they communicate. You can't just speak to them like a tourist pointing out tango; you have to truly identify with it so Camesa feels like a genuine Argentinian brand," Batista emphasizes.
Career advice for young marketing professionals
For students and early-career marketers, Batista advises finding solid professional benchmarks and avoiding overreliance on isolated metrics like CAC and ROI. He advocates for developing a distinctive personal signature in your work, honing interpersonal communication skills, and building professional networks grounded in genuine human relationships.
"If you're young, look for great role models. Set clear goals, talk to people, interact, and step away from your phone screen. Don't trap yourself strictly in numbers. Don't focus solely on ROI and CAC. All of that is simply the byproduct of the meaningful work you build throughout your career," Batista concludes.