THE REAL KASHMIR

Short List
TitleTHE REAL KASHMIR
BrandADIDAS
Product / ServiceREAL KASHMIR FOOTBALL CLUB SPONSORSHIP
CategoryA11. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) / Corporate Image
EntrantCHEIL INDIA Gurgaon, INDIA
Idea Creation CHEIL INDIA Gurgaon, INDIA
Media Placement ADIDAS Gurgaon, INDIA
PR ADIDAS Gurgaon, INDIA

Credits

Name Company Position
Emmanuel Upputuru Cheil India Chief Creative Officer
Aneesh Jaisinghani Cheil India Executive Creative Director
Kumar Saurabh Cheil India Creative Director
Ashish Kumar Cheil India Creative Director
Abhishek Sen Cheil India Account Director
Palak Gupta Cheil India Account Executive

Why is this work relevant for Media?

‘Sports has the power to change lives’ is a philosophy that drives ADIDAS. So they partnered with Real Kashmir FC, a fledgling football club from the strife-torn region of Kashmir in India, that broke through the coveted Indian League against all odds. We had to tell this story to the world. A world that has been carpet-bombed with nothing but negatives from Kashmir by the international media over the last 3 decades. The world sees what the media shows and the media has showed Kashmir through just one lens. A hopeless, violent one.

Background

The Background: Kashmir is synonymus with terrorism, curfews, rioting, stone-pelting, violence, territorial conflict, civil unrest, bomb explosions, insurgency and a negative grammar both visual and lingual, developed over decades. The BRIEF: ‘Sports has the power to change lives’ is a philosophy that drives adidas. So they partnered with Real Kashmir FC, a fledgling football club from the strife-torn region of Kashmir in India, that broke through the coveted i-League against all odds. OBJECTIVE: We had to tell this story of hope to the world. A world that has been carpet-bombed with nothing but negatives from Kashmir by the international media over the last 3 decades.

Describe the creative idea/insights (30% of vote)

“When you see Kashmir through the lens of football, you will see #TheRealKashmir.” We turned the negative lens of hopelessness into a lens of optimism and homegrown change by telling the untold story of Real Kashmir FC, across mediums. A story of hope, grassroot passions, and a strong belief in rewriting the future. Asking both the media and the people to open their eyes to the hopeful stories of change in Kashmir. Through the narrative of a real, visually-impaired 80 year-old Kashmiri football fan in 2 minute long film with a 200-year old Kashmiri folk song as the background, we questioned the very lens with which the world sees Kashmir.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

A film showing Kashmir through the lens of football We started with a film based on the true story of club and their rise to the big leagues of India. Narrated by a visually-impaired, 80 year old Kashmiri who doesn’t see Kashmir negatively like the world does. He feels the positive change in Kashmir with the rise of football. The narrative was combined with a folk song that has inspired generations of Kashmiris over 200 years to make maximum impact. Rewriting the traditional front pages For mainstream media to cover the positive stories from Kashmir, we had to do something. What better way to grab their attention but through one of their own. So we partnered with a leading Kashmiri newspaper and changed the regular cover story of negativity with the back page of sports. Kashmir woke up to a positive cover story for the first time in history.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

A photography exhibition showing Kashmir through the lens of football A one-of-its-kind photo exhibition in collaboration with the well-known street photographer, Prashant Godbole, helped spread the message of positivity by showing Kashmir through the positive lens of football.

List the results (30% of vote)

The Results: 42% RISE IN POSITIVE CONVERSATIONS about Kashmir on social platforms, beating negatives at a low 15% The club was invited as a special guest to the global ‘FOOTBALL FOR PEACE’ event under the high patronage of HRH Prince Albert II of Monaco at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London INR 20,000,000 Donated by the Indian State Government to the club as assistance post the campaign The club’s story makes ESPN INDIA’S LIST OF TOP 10 inspiring sports stories #2 TRENDING Topic on twitter India for the first 3 hours 67,837 UNPAID PR ARTICLES by 640 global news/media agencies 150,000+ SHARES Most shared sports commercial of the year in India 400% INCREASE in fan following on club’s twitter, facebook & instagram 25M VIEWS 85M IMPRESSIONS GLOBALLY $52M IN EARNED MEDIA

Links

Video URL