The challenge was to promote the launching of a partnership between Sport Club do Recife and Adidas, using FIFA’s 2014 World Cup to amplify the brands worldwide awareness. Having that in mind the promotional campaign “Red and Black Greetings” was created welcoming tribute to the German, Mexican and Japanese national teams, also sponsored by Adidas and would play in Recife.

Sport Club launched themed jerseys in each of the 3 teams national colours, beside a Brazilian team kit. The Club’s team used the themed jerseys on the two main national soccer championships. In that way, the Club spread its brand awareness across dozens of countries worth millions of Euro in free media, was on Twitter’s Trending Topics, and also trended in the countries main web portals, blogs and the sport media on radio and TV shows, conquering thousands of fans across the world.

The “Red and Black Greetings” was an original project by Massapê Comunicação to promote the launching of the partnership between Adidas and Sport Club do Recife.

At first, the jersey special layouts were developed in a hybrid team made up by Massapê’s creatives and Adidas’ design team, so the references to the foreign national teams would be clear and, at the same time, aligned with Adidas’ design core principles.

Then, the project was presented and immediately approved by the clubs’ head council. The official launch took place on April 2014, at a special event on the club’s headquarters where Sport Club’s Vice president, together with its Head of Marketing presented the project to the local, national and international press, besides the club’s members and its fans.

After 3 months the campaign impacted soccer fans and football item related collectors worldwide and converted the target audience into consumers, making the capsule collection sold out in only two days and the official Sport Club’s jerseys a top 10 best seller on Adidas ecommerce.

On every newscast show after the games played by the club with the themed jerseys, Sport Club media coverage peaked 50% above average. During the World Cup, the Club increased its international visitors number in 70% on its official headquarters from over 22 different foreign countries as well as an 150% increase on its jersey average sales.

The campaign was reported by Mexican, Japanese and German press, besides sport focused tabloids from all over the world.