Cheese flavoured crisp brand Fonzies asks Italian fans to lend their passion and support to the Canadian National Team for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in an integrated campaign called ‘Fonzies For Canada’.
The Mondelez snack brand teamed up with agency Dentsu Creative to urge passionate Italian football supporters to temporarily switch their allegiance to Canada at Qatar 2022. With Italy not qualifying for Qatar 2022 (and not qualifying for a Men’s World Cup Finals since Brazil 2014, the brand – an official partner of the Italian National Team – aims to whip up some enthusiasm for the tournament whilst reminding consumers of its sponsorship despite the Azzuri’s absence from the World Cup.
The campaign, timed to leverage Canada’s first World Cup game in 36 years on 23 November against Belgium, Fonzies campaign formed a slightly tongue-in-cheek global call for Italians to give lend hearts, hands and voices to the Canadians.
The campaign, which spans OOH, digital, social, print, gaming and in bar experiential, is hubbed around a core website and sees a team of well-known influencer coaches training Italians on how to become temporary Canadian supporters: instructing them in everything from classic team chants to correct player name pronunciation.
The marketing initiative was spearheaded by a hero spot called ‘Fonzies For Canada’ which dropped on 18 November and was shared across the brand’s social media platforms,
This was backed by plenty of social support and assets also aimed to drive viewers online to register and download a supporter card at www.fonziesforcanada.it and get a GIF pack on Giphy to wear their new colours with pride on social.
“The power of Italian cheering cannot be held back for the second time in a row, and with Fonzies we have found an outlet for all our passion,” said Dentsu Creative Italy Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Fregoso (with tongue firmly in cheek). “Italians fans are ready to answer the call! This is a perfect example of Modern Creativity: solving a business problem for Fonzies, as the main sponsor of a national team that didn’t make it to the World Cup, with strong audience insight and culturally relevant creativity.”
Fonzies Brand Manager Francesco Uguccioni added: “In a moment so tough for supporters of our beloved National Team, together with Dentsu Creative we wanted to achieve something original and unique: a communication campaign representing sports values in an entertaining, modern, positive, 100% Fonzies way.”
Created by Dentsu Creative Italy, the campaign’s media planning and buying was handled by Carat Italy and productionwas run through The Big Angle.
The campaign was created by a team at Dentsu Creative Italy which included Chief Creative Officer Riccardo Fregoso, Executive Creative Director Maurizio Tozzini, Creative Director Giorgio Maria Bologna, Creative Antonella Vicari, Copywriters Lorenzo Bonechi and Francesco Vecchi, Graphic Designer Nicolò Frontini, Art Directors Edoardo Serafini, Nadia Charif and Matteo Francesco Bardoscia, Content Producer Luca Nebbioli, Design Director Laura Liguori, Graphic Designer Stefano Trolese, Strategy Director Samanta Giuliani, Strategist Chiara Chiarino and Chief Executive Officer Emanuele Nenna.
Comment
Fonzies, Mondelez’s number one selling cheese-flavoured snack in Italy, sought to give 58m people in Italy and 100m Italians around the world a new team to get behind and to still leverage its football tie-up despite the property it sponsors not being in the competition.
After all, the whole football world are aware of just how passionate Italians are about football, while in Canada the game is arguably only the country’s eighth favourite sport (statistics suggest it is even less popular than curling).
So, err, Forza Canada!
With so many serious issues rightly dominating the early new and coverage of Qatar 2022, one brand has certainly opted for some light-hearted fun to leverage the tournament.
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