Weeks ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, Guinness launched a pan-African football-themed campaign called ‘Brothers’ which celebrates how football fans find inventive ways to make the experience of watching the game accessible for everyone.
Launching at the start of November and leveraging building excitement around Qatar 2022 (which runs from 20 November to 18 December), the hero spot celebrates the relationship between Miracle and his brother Abidemi who are united by their shared passion for football.
The Diageo-owned stout brand’s campaign, created in harness with agency AMV BBDO, is set in a Nigerian football viewing centre: such public viewing spaces are an extension of stadiums in many African cities and have become a popular destination for weekends and midweek evenings during the European football season where supporters come together to watch and to share their passion for the game.
Miracle, his brother Abidemi and their friends regularly watch the game in such as venue and together they make the match experience brighter for all through their creative ingenuity, passion and infectious fandom for the football game. The spot showcases Miracle love for football and it is only at the end of the ad viewers learn that Miracle is blind. Yet, despite not being able to see, he still brings his unique and infectious energy to matches and inspire those around him.
The hero spot comes in multiple versions (including an audio description ad) and runs on TV with social and OOH support in various markets across Africa.
‘Brothers: Bringing the game to life’ dropped on Guinness’ own platforms from 1 November, includes the copy line “Football is not just about what we see, but what we feel” and urges veiwers to find out more about how Guinness Africa celebrates football together at a bespoke web hub at https://www.guinness.com/en-ke/footba…
According to both agency and brand, throughout the creative process – from idea and script, to casting, shooting and production – members of the blind and visually impaired community were consulted in order to ensure that the advert reflects an authentic experience.
“It has been a joy and a privilege to work with this group to create a piece of work with such a powerful message,” commented Guinness Global Marketing Manager Olawale Adetula. “Our lead whose real name is Miracle truly personifies his name and I’m looking forward to seeing how the story inspires everyone that comes across it”.
AMV BBDO Creatives Dan Kennard and Ben Smith added: “When casting Miracle, we instantly connected with his boundless energy and saw how much that, like us, he wanted to represent the visually impaired community on a much bigger scale. We think his magnetic personality shines through and will resonate with not only football fans, the inclusive community, but with everyone”.
The campaign was created for client Guinness by a team at Creative agency AMV BBDO which included Chief Creative Officer Nadja Lossgott, Chief Creative Officer Nicholas Hulley, Creative Directors Nadja Lossgott and Nicholas Hulley, Creatives Ben Smith and Dan Kennard, Planner Joe Smith, Account Managers Ella Dolding and Elana Murphy and Agency Producer Leo Rowbotham.
Media was handled by PHD and OMD South Africa and the production company was Giant with Director Paul Ward and Producer Emma Lundy. Editorial was by Strangelove with Editors Xander Van Der Westhuizen and Emily Bussac. Post production and VFX was handled by Unit and No8 and music and sound by 750mph.
Comment
This powerful campaign sees Guinness work with Miracle to embody how football and life is less about what someone can see and more about what fans feel.
This work is the latest addition to the ‘Black Shines Brightest’ brand platform which, since it launched in 2021, has resonated locally and led to 1.5 million drinkers new Guinness drinkers across Africa.
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