Our brief from client was to create a non-traditional, mixed-media campaign as part of adidas’ marketing push for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™. The client wanted a different kind of branding idea that would tell the World Cup story in a real and soulful way. We started from the premise that each and every day of the tournament would offer enough real drama to create its own stories: the winners, the losers, the teams and unforgettable moments of every match. We decided to capture these stories on the ground in South Africa and share them with the World via daily content with a uniquely African feeling and identity to celebrate the first World Cup on African soil.

Between June 11th and July 11th some 64 games were played on the road toward finding the team worthy of holding the World Cup.Each match was watched, the big moments of each day being posted to Facebook where fans could vote for the moment that they felt should be painted for posterity.

Visual reference of the chosen moment was searched for and the artists briefed, each artwork being painted within 6 hours of the final whistle. The work was then captured and sent out around the World, incorporated into moving content, and prepared for the Book before being hung in the Exhibition in Johannesburg.

The campaign attracted a great deal attention from the international media, as well as fans of the game despite the cluttered marketplace and competition from other sports brands. The reason it was successful was because it there was a certain integrity to the work. It was real, with its visual style and approach acknowledging that this World Cup was routed in Africa. However, much more importantly, it had a positive impact for South Africa itself.

The paintings were sold at auction to the public, and as such over 68,000 euro has been raised for the Nelson Mandela 46664 Foundation. This is being reinvested into the local community to create a lasting legacy of Africa’s first World Cup.