Apple TV & EA Sports win Best Activation Cannes plus...4 more Fifa in-game campaign belters.

Ted Lasso & Fifa 2023 | Apple & EA Sports | DDB WW | 2023

Apple and EA Sports were awarded the Grand Prix for Brand Experience & Activation at the Cannes Lions 2023 for their collaboration on the integration of the fictional AFC Richmond team from the TV show Ted Lasso into the FIFA 2023 video game. The campaign, developed internally by both brands, featured the team's players and coaches as in-game avatars and began with a teaser on the official Ted Lasso Twitter account, showcasing the actor's face being motion captured for his avatar. A launch film followed, featuring actors from the show and real-life footballers endorsing Ted Lasso as a great manager. The campaign garnered impressive results, with over 2,000 articles and 13.2 billion earned media impressions in the first 30 days. Jury president Ari Weiss praised the campaign as a seamless and immersive brand experience that transcended traditional marketing.

#playwithlove | All Out | AlmapBBDO | 2022

Reimagine FIFA 23 to allow people to play with a One Love armband banned in the real life game. The 2022 World Cup in Qatar was marred by controversies surrounding human rights and LGBT+ activism. FIFA's ban on the 'One Love' armband, a symbol of support against discrimination and homophobia, sparked global outrage. However, All Out, an LGBTQIA+ advocacy NGO, found a virtual solution. They created a mod for FIFA 23, allowing players to wear the banned armband in the game. All Out promoted the mod, which could be adopted by any of the 32 teams participating in the World Cup. The #PlayWithLove project, a collaboration between All Out and Brazilian agency AlmapBBDO, featured streamers and pro players showcasing the armband during live matches. All Out aimed to raise awareness and support for LGBTQ+ rights in Qatar, while emphasizing the importance of diversity and inclusivity both on and off the field.

Long Live The Prince | Kiyan Prince Foundation | Engine Group | 2021

Turn football video game into a way to honour murdered player. Aged just 15, teenage football prodigy Kiyan Prince was stabbed to death in a knife attack defending a friend. On the 15th anniversary of his death, Kiyan Prince gets the chance to sign again for the senior squad at QPR, his former club. But this time he signs as a playable character on EA Sports’ Fifa 21 and so his spirit and legacy are allowed to live on. This touching campaign was created pro bono by Engine, in collaboration with EA Sports and the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which was set up by Prince’s father in 2007.

Stevenage Challenge | Burger King | David | 2019

Turn a low-division team on FIFA into a chance to get Burger King brand onto the shirts of elite players without paying them millions. How can you sponsor a sports team to get your brand name onto the jerseys of elite players without the problem of paying millions for the right to do so?  This probably wasn’t the exact question that Burger King asked the creatives at Ogilvy to tackle but this campaign solves it brilliantly. The answer lay in sponsoring the lowly Stevenage Football Club but pushing their marketing budget to promote the team in the online gaming world where gamers can choose any player to play for their team. Burger King created the ‘Stevenage Challenge’ on FIFA, to see who could build the best team with superstar players and before too long we saw Neymar, Messi and more running around in a Stevenage Uniform on the biggest sports game on the planet. Even smarter, Burger King rewarded gamers every time they shared a video of a goal they scored in FIFA on Twitter! This led to Stevenage FC becoming the most-played team online for that year’s game.

El Tornado - More Than A Game | EA Sports | adam&eve | 2018

Create a new football skill exclusively for the launch of Fifa 2018 that gamers can be rewarded for if footballers in real life can master it! To mark the worldwide launch of FIFA 18, adam&eveDDB and EA SPORTS introduced the innovative skill move 'El Tornado' exclusively for the game. The campaign achieved remarkable results, with the move gaining significant traction. The commercial showcasing 'El Tornado' generated widespread attention and excitement, leading to over 2 million views online. The move's cultural impact extended beyond the game as it inspired top FIFA 18 players, world-class footballers, brands like adidas and Coke, and even musicians like Run the Jewels to create their own versions of 'El Tornado' content. Furthermore, the campaign successfully engaged the FIFA gaming community, generating millions of impressions and interactions on social media platforms. With its viral success and cultural integration, 'El Tornado' demonstrated the unique influence of FIFA on both football and popular culture.