Wunderman Brazil has a new campaign for the São Paulo Soccer Federation, entitled, “Linesman for Peace,” which calls for peace amongst fans during the São Paulo State Championship.
The Campeonato Paulista, or Paulistão, is one of Brazil’s largest soccer tournaments, with fierce rivals like Corinthians, Palmeiras, Santos and São Paulo vying for the championship. This can cause soccer loving Brazilians fans’ extreme passion for the sport to escalate into violence in the stands (as it does in many soccer-loving countries around the world). So Wunderman Brazil had the São Paulo Soccer Federation (FPF) linesman’s yellow and red flags replaced with white flags to deliver a very simple but important message: “There is no offside for peace,” or “Please don’t try to kill each other.”
“Whenever the linesmen get involved in the game, either because someone is offside, a throw in, or a corner kick, etc., in any of the 158 games of the championship, the fans will remember that for peace there is no offside,” says Marco Polo Del Nero, FPF president.
Wunderman Brazil created a website complete with web film (featured above), as well as handling social media for FPF “to stimulate the fans’ engagement in the cause by posting messages on the signs and banners at the games.”
“There is no greater universal peace symbol than a white flag. And it will draw the fans’ attention because it’s the first time that linesmen have given up their customary yellow and red flags,” adds Paulo Sanna, creative VP at Wunderman.
Wunderman Brazil has found a clever way to reach fans who otherwise may be too riled up to listen to reason, and a novel way to deliver a very important message. It may be kind of sad that it needs to be said in the first place, but hopefully it will reach the right people and keep things peaceful during Campeonato Paulista. Stick around for credits after the jump.Credits:
Client: Federação Paulista de Futebol
Campaign Title: “Linesmen for Peace”
Chief Creative Officer: Paulo Sanna
Creative Directors: Paulo Sanna, Adriano Abdalla, Fábio Matiazzi, Fernando Tomeu, Rafael Palermo e João Paulo Martins
Art Director: André Araújo
Copywriter: Samuel Normando
Print Agency Producer: Sandro Figueiredo
Photographer: Paulo Villar
Project Manager: Sergio Porro
Agency Producers: Cleo Andrade e Flávia Rocha
Producer: La Casa de La Madre