In 18 months a simple arm movement became a global peace movement. The Norwegian Football Association wanted to make respect a more integral part of football.

A partnership was struck with the Nobel Peace Centre. A picture taken at a game between South Africa and Norway became the inspiration, and rather than creating an ad campaign we created Handshake for Peace, and designed it to be both symbolic and ambitious, where the captains would Handshake at the end of the game, to settle the score respectfully.

The acid test was Norway Cup, a 20K+ youth tournament. It immediately became a symbol of fair play and the phenomena spread from there. The official launch was the 2013 season of the Norwegian Premier League. The actual handshake and the logo were shown at every game on TV.

Then FIFA decided to make Handshake for Peace an integrated part of all games worldwide from December 2013 – with the big launch at the World Cup in Brazil.

PR wise: The wonderful thing about Handshake for Peace was its powerful simplicity, and that absolutely nobody questioned the good intentions when it was introduced. So the players themselves, the families, the fans, the press and eventually even the Norwegian prime minister, the UN Secretary General and Pope Francis joined what they saw as a positive force. In the right balance between being ambitious and naïve, Handshake For Peace (HfP) gave (Norwegian) football positive energy and some great and emotional stories. It was public relations in its purest form.

Handshake for Peace was an organic thing taking place on the pitch, with no ad campaigns or social media, the only carriers were black and yellow wristbands, a few stadium posters and the speaker announcing the ritual. The official launch was the 2013 season of the Norwegian Premier League. The actual handshake and the logo were shown at every game on TV. Everybody engaging in or watching these games seemed to understand that respect and FairPlay was again a fundamental part of the game.

65% of the total population was exposed to 'HfP' an average of 7 times! Originating on the pitch where players and fans embraced it, politicians, celebrities and global leaders took up on this simple idea. Free media coverage and free endorsements spread the message and it grew organically. Based on this success FIFA approached the Nobel Peace Centre and signed an agreement to make Handshake for Peace an integrated part of all games worldwide from December 2013 – with the big launch at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil! In 18 months a simple arm movement became a global peace movement.