Unicef “What Excites Us, Unites Us”
CHALLENGE: In 2018, Unicef wanted to find a way to combat the challenges of xenophobia and anti-immigration policy agendas—without spending a penny or getting political. We needed to do something that would resonate globally with diverse countries each facing different issues, and find a way to unify local communities around shared interests.
SOLUTION: Our answer: sports. The “What Excites Us, Unites Us” campaign used the 2018 FIFA World Cup to promote global acceptance for migrant and refugee children by showing that children root for the same home team as their neighbors, no matter where they were born. To launch the campaign, we created a documentary film and #TheLongestGoal global social challenge that asked football fans to use their voice not just to cheer on their favorite team, but to stand with all children everywhere.
RESULTS: The $0 budget campaign went viral, reaching as many as 3.1 billion people. The campaign received a total of 282 mentions in media outlets and 51,599 mentions on social media. Sergio Ramos even dedicated one of the Spanish team's World Cup wins to the cause, tweeting: "This win is dedicated to migrant and refugee children, especially on #WorldRefugeeDay. Wanna join me? Take the #LongestGoal challenge. The best clips will be featured on billboards around the world!"
AWARDS: Webby Nominee & Shorty Awards Finalist
#TheLongestGoal
Global football fans joined refugee and migrant children to celebrate their love of football by taking the #LongestGoal challenge. With a zero dollar investment, our social campaign engaged 1.1 Million people. You can view the hashtag on Twitter here and our landing page here. The winning 'goals' were broadcast on billboards around the world including Times Square and Tokyo.
Awards
Webby Nominee, Public Service
Shorty Awards Finalist
Results
The campaign went viral, potentially reaching over 3.1 billion people and 24 million through our social media challenge.
Between 19 June and 15 July, UNICEF received a total of 282 mentions in media outlets in relation to our World Cup campaign.
Our film featuring Sergio Ramos was posted in four different languages- English, Spanish, French and Arabic - and received nearly 10 million views.
Sergio Ramos dedicated one of the Spanish team's World Cup wins to the cause, tweeting: "This win is dedicated to migrant and refugee children, especially on #WorldRefugeeDay."
The campaign generated 51,599 mentions across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Sergio Ramos's social posts related to the campaign reached 70 million users and received 2.2 million engagements.
"Top Global Tweet" in June of 2018.
Selected Press
Adweek "Soccer Helps a 6-Year Old Migrant Make New Friends in UNICEF’s Heartwarming PSA"
USAToday "Spanish captain Sergio Ramos sends powerful message of support for refugee, migrant children"
Campaigns Of The World “UNICEF – ‘What Excites Us Unites Us’ campaign unites the world with the immigrant kids! #LongestGoal”
MSN "Sergio Ramos surprises two of his youngest fans"
SportsBusinessDaily "UNICEF Launches Campaign To Support Refugee Children"
GoodNewsShared "Football helped me make friends"
Reliefweb "Around 30 million children displaced by conflict need protection now and sustainable solutions over the long term"
Radiopico "Unicef lancia la “longest goal challange” in supporto ai bambini rifugiati"
News.UN "Unicef diz que 30 milhões de crianças deslocadas por conflitos precisam de proteção
Aktuell "30 Millionen Kinder auf der Flucht vor Konflikten"
News18 "'Goaaaaaaaal'! Rohingya Refugee Kids Have Discovered Their Own World Cup"
ClubeDecriacao "What Unites Us Excites Us: Jogador espanhol Sergio Ramos em campanha da Unicef"
OnFleek "The love of football goes beyond borders."
BoxScoreNews "UNICEF Launches Initiative with Sergio Ramos that Harnesses the Power of Football"
Agency: 180LA
Creative team: Brian Farkas, Tylynne McCauley, Marisa Milisic, Sarah Romanoff , Yugendu Vyas and Caleb Couturie