French football publication So Foot chose to cover the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup on and off the field, but understood that some of its readers decided to boycott the tournament due to bribery corruption and human rights abuses and so chose to offer them an alternative window on the world in the form of a pop-up restaurant called ‘So Food’.
The idea was conceived with agency BETC Paris and was built around offering football fans not following Qatar 2022 an opportunity to have a taste of the global culture of international football by eating dishes from the other competing nations.
The restaurant began by offering classic dishes from the other countries in the French National Team’s first round group and opened during France games.
During matches against Australia, Denmark and Tunisia, the rebranded restaurant acted as an alternative home for French football fans boycotting the competition by teaming up with renowned chefs who taught the guests/diners during 90-minute masterclasses how to cook a meal with recipes inspired by classic dishes from France’s opponents.
The subsequent meals prepared by the guest fans were then offered to the charity #onremplitlefrigo #wefillyourfridge which collects and distributes meal boxes to students in need.
The first event took place on 22 November while France were beating Australia 4:1 the fan guests were taught how to make an Australian menu consisting of sausage roll, chicory salad, chicken parma and fruit pavlova.
The initiative was promoted primarily through PR, social media and across So Foot’s own platforms and channels.
The campaign was created for So Foot by a team at creative agency BETC Paris and was produced by Allso.
Comment
With millions of football fans around the world not quite sure how to engage with Qatar 2022 or whether to engage with it at all, So Foot understood that one thing French people will never boycott is food. So this initiative leverages its readers’ gastronomic passion.
From Blankspot & Forza Football’s ‘Cards Against Qatar’ set and official DBU supplier Hummel’s toned down shirt protest project, to ambusher BrewDog’s ‘Proud Anti-Sponsor’ campaign, there has been an impressive line-up of imaginative protest campaigns against the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup and this food focused stunt adds to the rich mix.
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