This is how mobile allowed football fans to be instrumental in their team’s success:
2 years after the Arab Spring, tension amongst the Tunisian remained. For security reasons, the Government decided that all professional Football League games had to be played without any audience in stadiums, forcing teams and their fans into a frustrating long distance relationship.
At the end of a football season with average results, Tunis team C.S Hammam-Lif faced a critical situation. Ties with their fans had eroded, and the most important game of the year approached: the deciding moment whether C.S Hammam-Lif stayed in the league or not. The team really needed its fans back.
Idea: We created the 12th Man App and brought back fans into the stadium. The 12th Man is a downloadable mobile application that connects every fan to 40 speakers placed inside the stadium.
The app enables them to support their team while watching the game live on TV.
A simple tap on sound icons is instantly turned into powerful support: cheering, clapping, drumming, singing… The more people press, the louder the sound in the stadium.
The 12th man app turned phones, which were only used to talk about games, into a tool to influence the result of the game. By merging two screens and linking fans to stadiums, we empowered them again. Vice versa, the app gave C.S Hammam-Lif the support it needed to win the crucial game and positioned the club as one that truly cares about its fans, keeping them involved in the game against all odds.
A virtual experience turned real and made football an event again.
Results: The 12th Man app made Headline news. It allowed 93.100 fans to recreate a cherished experience they were being denied. 1.2m people watched the game on TV. Energized by the support of their fans, C.S Hammam-Lif won by 1-0, securing their place in the league. 1.2m others watching the game. If you’re a football fan, you can probably agree: the 12th man app saved the meaning of life.
Up next: the Tunisian Handball and Basketball League.
Advertising Agency: Memac Ogilvy, Tunisia