Endurance advertising: world's longest commercial

A Brazilian man has talked his way in to the world record books by chatting non-stop for over 14 hours in aid of a new commercial soon to be released by Emirates Airlines that promotes a new non-stop flight from Dubai to Sao Paulo. The Sao Paulo native, who goes only by the name "Non-stop Fernando" successfully waxed lyrical about his beloved home city for an entire 14 hours 40 minutes in front of the film crew, who followed him around for the duration at his home.

The premise of the new endurance commercial is that Fernando is waiting for his friend to arrive on a plane from Dubai, a non-stop flight which takes 14 hours. We watch with intrigue as Fernando wakes up and makes breakfast (which includes the juice from a fresh coconut), takes a shower, relaxes on a hammock (which collapses) and potters around the house and treats us to a bit of guitar playing, all the while feeding us with fascinating information about Sao Paulo.

As the day with Fernando unfolds, we discover more and more about the city of Sao Paulo and the culture of Brazil; we learn about the cafes and bars, where to see a football match, the best markets, gay pride, Brazilian ju-jitsu, samba and flip flops. For over 14 hours, Fernando reveals the secrets of Sao Paulo, allowing us into a world of local knowledge that is not featured in guide books and not widely known by foreign visitors, often with comical words of wisdom such as: "If bitten by a snake, you'll be afraid of the sausage."

The 14 hour commercial is certainly quite a feat, and despite the non-stop Brazilian endurance chatting, he never seems to tire - after all, as the Southern Hemisphere's most populated city, there's plenty to talk about. Situated in the vast region known as the Brazilian Highlands, Sao Paulo has an average elevation of around 800 metres above sea level - yet it's only 70 km from the Atlantic Ocean and with a subtropical climate it's normally warm enough to enjoy the great outdoors all year round.

The city is an intoxicating mix of cultures; initially inhabited by Native Americans and later by Portuguese colonists, the city gained a large population of African slaves in the 17th century, providing the principal source of manual labour for the coffee and sugar cane plantations. As coffee became the biggest commodity in the area in the 1870s, the city prospered and from 1870 onwards, urbanisation of the city took place as swamps were transformed into gardens. Waves of immigrants including Japanese, Chinese, and Europeans later came to the city and have added to the multicultural nature to the metropolis.

So if you're thinking about visiting Sao Paulo, non-stop Fernando's record breaking 14 hour advert is an ideal way to learn from a real live native all about the city; from history to hedonism, and even a some Portuguese lingo learning, the bubbly Brazilian's gift of the gab is well worth watching if you're need some local knowledge.