| Title | SACRED GROUND |
| Brand | ADIDAS |
| Product / Service | SPORTING GOODS |
| Category | D02. Consumer Products (incl. Durable Goods) |
| Entrant | WHYBIN\TBWA GROUP MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
| Entrant Company | WHYBIN\TBWA GROUP MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
| Advertising Agency | WHYBIN\TBWA GROUP MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA |
| Production Company | INFINITY SQUARED Sydney, AUSTRALIA |
| Name | Company | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Scott Whybin | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Chief Creative Officer |
| Paul Reardon | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Executive Creative Director |
| Matt Stoddart | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Senior Art Director |
| Ashwin Gopal | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Senior Copywriter |
| Mike Napolitano | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | General Manager |
| Damyant Singh | adidas | Marketing Director |
| Siddharth Pal | adidas | Marketing Manager |
| Margot Ger | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Executive Producer |
| Lauren Pell | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Producer |
| Stephanie Leddin | Whybin/TBWA Group Melbourne | Producer |
During the Cricket World Cup, adidas hijacked live broadcasts to establish a unique connection between the Indian cricket team and a nation of a billion devoted fans. We asked fans to touch the ground where they play cricket and send their support to the Indian team with a photo using #SacredGround. Indian players received that support during live broadcasts by touching the ground as they walked out to bat. Millions watched the Indian players perform the Sacred Ground gesture at each World Cup game, and the support grew bigger.
We asked devoted Indian fans to touch the ground where they play cricket, and show their support for the team using #SacredGround. To lead the call for support, adidas teamed up with India’s most popular cricketer, Virat Kohli. Our message struck a chord with Kohli’s massive social following. Fans, celebrities and sports stars sent their support through #SacredGround. To make that support felt during the game, we hijacked live broadcasts, getting Indian players to touch the ground as the walked out to bat. Millions watched as they made the unique gesture at each game, and the support grew even further.
Devoted Indian cricket fans. With the 2015 Cricket World Cup being held in Australia, fans watching in India were looking for a way to somehow make all that support at home, felt overseas. By turning their local playgrounds into a way sending support directly to the Indian players, adidas stood to gain fans’ attention during the World Cup, despite not being an official sponsor.
With one simple gesture, adidas connected one team to one billion fans. During India’s World Cup matches, #SacredGround trended on Twitter, and the fans’ social involvement led to over 131 million social impressions. Adidas hijacked live broadcasts of India’s World Cup matches by getting Indian players to perform the Sacred Ground gesture. Millions watched as the players took part in our campaign at every single match including; India vs Bangladesh, 98 million viewers; India vs South Africa, 257 million viewers; India vs West Indies, 262 million viewers. And then, in the most watched sporting event in history, India vs Pakistan, Indian players made the Sacred Ground gesture in front of over one billion viewers. adidas achieved this without being an official World Cup sponsor and without spending a single rupee on media.