Why is this work relevant for PR?

Bloodshed, Wars, Suicide bombings, Stone-pelting… For more than 7 decades, KASHMIR has made headlines exclusively for terrorism And the outside world has branded the Kashmiri youth, a potential terrorist. With very few opportunities due to lack of corporate investments and state apathy In this environment of despair, a local football club Real Kashmir FC was making waves in the premier league of Indian Football. But violence and pain is so deeply rooted in the media coverage of Kashmir for decades, Even the local media failed to acknowledge this story of hope for the youth.

Background

Bloodshed, Wars, Suicide bombings, Stone-pelting… For more than 7 decades, KASHMIR has made headlines exclusively for terrorism And the outside world has branded every Kashmiri, a potential terrorist. With very few opportunities due to lack of corporate investments and state apathy Kashmiri youth felt the hopelessness and indulged in the political propaganda. In this environment of despair, a small, local football club Real Kashmir FC was making waves in the premier leagues of Indian Football. But violence and pain is so deeply rooted in the media coverage of Kashmir for decades, Even the local media failed to acknowledge such stories of hope for the youth. adidas strongly believes that sport has the power to change lives So, we wanted the world to open their eyes and see this positive story of hope from Kashmir.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

We know change that begins from within goes a long way, So first, we partnered with a leading Kashmiri newspaper, and changed the century-old format of the entire newspaper itself. Flipping the regular cover stories of conflict & pain, with the positive back page of sports. For the first time in history, Kashmiri youth woke up to positive and inspiring stories of their local football club. Real Kashmir FC’s success story had given a new identity to the youth of Kashmir. They found a future to look forward to. We then, invited the mainstream media to join this positive change, By sending an open letter from the Chief Editor’s desk to global media powerhouses, both online and offline. Inviting them to cover the neglected stories of youth from Kashmir.

Describe the strategy (30% of vote)

Real Kashmir FC’s success story had given a new identity to the youth of Kashmir. They found a future to look forward to. We then, invited the mainstream media to join this positive change, By sending an open letter from the Chief Editor’s desk to global media powerhouses, both online and offline. Inviting them to cover the neglected stories of youth from Kashmir. Their response, was phenomenal. Premier news channels and publications joined us. Spreading the positive message from Kashmir, for the first time. Governors and Ministers in the Indian Government strongly came out in support.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

So first, we partnered with a leading Kashmiri newspaper, and changed the century-old format of the entire newspaper itself. Flipping the regular cover stories of conflict & pain, with the positive back page of sports. For the first time in history, Kashmiri youth woke up to positive and inspiring stories of their local football club. Real Kashmir FC’s success story had given a new identity to the youth of Kashmir. They found a future to look forward to. We then, invited the mainstream media to join this positive change, By sending an open letter from the Chief Editor’s desk to global media powerhouses, both online and offline. Inviting them to cover the neglected stories of youth from Kashmir.

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

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