Sony Six, the broadcaster of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in India, has rolled out the campaign for the event. Bollywood actor John Abraham has been roped in the campaign titled ‘Live the Magic’. Conceptualised by Havas Worldwide, the film encourages the fans to join in and watch the tournament, which begins from 12 June.
The film opens with a character wearing a Neymar Jr paper mache mask and his jersey coming out of his house and whistling to signal others to join him. He’s joined by a character donning Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portuguese jersey. Football fans join them as they run through the streets. They are soon joined by people wearing paper mache masks of Franck Ribery, Lionel Messi, Mario Ballotelli, Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez for a game of football on a beach to Samba music, as the crowd cheers the game. It ends with the Neymar scoring a goal and celebrating with the people. The goal scorer takes off his mask to reveal that he’s John Abraham, who invites viewers to watch ‘Football’s biggest party – the FIFA World Cup’ on Sony Six. He is seen sitting on the beach with people enjoying the match on television. Abraham signs off with ‘Live the magic’.
On the campaign, Prasana Krishnan, business head, Sony Six said, “This film is a part of a 360-degree campaign planned for the World Cup. Brazil brings in a different glamour aspect to the World Cup. That’s the flavour we needed to capture. John Abraham fits in beautifully for us, because he’s not just a brand ambassador – he’s someone who is a serious football lover (fan and player) and he knows his stuff.”
He added, “The FIFA World Cup is the biggest event in the world and in India it’s the only event that rivals the viewership numbers of cricket. A lot of fringe football viewers tune into it and that helps in a 15-20 time increase in viewership compared to the Barclays Premier League or any other European League. The first match on most days kicks off at 9:30 pm, which is perfect prime time for our country. Football fans are also used to watching games at 12:30 am, so that shouldn’t be a worry either.”.
Krishnan further revealed that the channel has so far confirmed one on-air sponsor (Xolo) and is in the process to finalise a few more sponsors.
Credits:
Client: MSM, Sony Six
Agency: Havas Worldwide
Production house: Tubelight Films
Director: Prashant Issar
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