High Five: Rodrigo Sobral
It's a sunny Sunday in London. 23 degrees. Clean sky. I just switched off my gas BBQ place. 'Bee!' I'm now considering what I'm going to write for this feature. What are my five all-time greatest pieces of work? I'm making a mental list of the work. This is it. I know what I'm going to write about now. Big smile on my face...only until I realise I'm not supposed to write about my own work. Ah, frustration kicks in. 'Bee!'. How can I possibly list the top best work I have ever seen? I'm a perfectionist. This task could take hours, if not days.
'Bee, daddy', my four years old daughter shouts again. A giant bumble bee has landed on top of the football we keep in our garden. It's the kids' football I bought her at Wembley Stadium on that traumatic 2020 Euro final when England was defeated on penalties by Italy. From the garden, I can hear the TV on. Premier League's final games are about to kick off. My Arsenal only made it to number five this year, but Man City and Liverpool are battling for the title. Great matches. It must be a sign. Oh wait, isn't this a World Cup year?
I'm going to write about what are my five all-time greatest football campaigns. Smile is back on my face. I can write about football while watching football, and even squeeze in my own work. Yep, I made one of the campaigns on the list. I know I'm not supposed to brag, but it was considered one of the best World Cup ads of all time, so I thought it had to be on my list. So here we go...
AP Bangkok - 'The Unusual Football Field'
Agency: CJ WORX
This is the type of work that takes me out of bed in the morning. A creative idea that genuinely improves people's lives. This work was named among the 25 best inventions of 2016 by TIME Magazine. Lack of space to play can be a real issue for kids' development. Particularly for those who live in overpopulated areas where there isn't much space to have fun. 'The Unusual Football Field' was developed in Khlong Toei community, a highly-populated area in Bangkok, to transform numerous unusable and asymmetrical spaces scattered across the district into a space for football and recreation.
adidas - 'Jose+10'
Agency: 180 Amsterdam
This is an oldie but a goodie. A timeless piece of work. One of the most authentic football ads of all time, actually. Every football lover can relate to it. In this film, boys put together an imaginary dream team that becomes reality. This ad could have easily been a cheesy film, but its beautiful direction and photography made it into a brilliant and surprising piece of storytelling.
Beats by Dr Dre - 'The Game Before the Game'
Agency: R/GA London x R/GA Los Angeles
Production: Sword Fight
Offline Editorial: Rock Paper Scissors
Post: Brewster Parsons
Sound: Inner Circle Sound
This is the campaign that dethroned Nike at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The story is entirely based on actual events. It was crafted to the smallest details to show the rituals and mental game athletes and fans go through before the game.
Puma - 'Love = Football'
This unexpected, funny and powerful tactical work was one of the first football-related films entirely designed to travel in social - back in 2010. And it worked wonders.
Nike Football - 'Write the Future'
Agency: Wieden + Kennedy, Amsterdam
Production: Anonymous x Independent
Director: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Colour: The Mill
A tremendous piece of work showing how a brand can move culture and improve people's lives. Nike 'Write the Future' was not just an advertising campaign, it was an entire marketing ecosystem designed to entertain and enable people to play better football, and be discovered for their skills and talent - from product and service design to films, digital innovation and competitions. NWTF is still one of the biggest and most important sports campaigns of all time.
This is it. See ya later! And well done Man City, for scooping the 2022 Premier League Trophy...
