UMBRO & ATHLETIC CLUB - CHAMPIONED BY ALL
THIS TIME THE PLAYERS WEREN’T
THE FIRSTS TO WEAR THE KITS
Worn by 11. Championed by all.
In 2011 Athletic Club qualified to the UEFA League for first time in decades.
Formed only by Basque-country born players, Umbro designed for them a new away kit that proudly displayed the colours of the Basque country flag — a unique opportunity to reposition Umbro in the market and drive traffic to stores.
So we decided to shift the cycle of a kit launch: We gave fans the opportunity to wear the jerseys before the players did, so that they could feel them close when playing away.
Every day a different set of 22 fans wore the jerseys and filled them with their souls, before passing it on to the next fans, and finally on to the players — Just like in book-crossing, but with some GPS tech involved.
Weeks before going on sale, we launched a video showing Athletic's most iconic fans and influencers pouring their personal wishes into the jerseys.
The video led people to our website and stores, were they could join our competition.
Launch film (Spanish & Basque)
GPS technology allowed visitors to the website follow the paths of the kits in real time.
People could even get directions to meet the closest fan and see the new kit in person.
The fans handed the jerseys over to the players at a private event that gathered the attention of most Spanish TV, press and radios.
After the event, we brought fans and players to one of the most iconic pubs for Athletic supporters, and shot the campaign posters there.
WHY I LIKE IT
We managed to build a distinctive positioning for Umbro, quite the opposite of the distant, cold attitude seen on major sports brands.
Launched without any media spend, our campaign quickly became part of Bilbao's football culture and resonated strongly in the rest of Spain.
We had a great time amongst iconic Athletic fans, and most importantly, the kits sold out and we won Umbro’s European football account after this project.
CREDITS
Agency: DoubleYou Madrid
Year: 2011
Role: Creative Director
Team: Marta Caseny, Rafa Merino, Luis Ortiz, Jordi Pont, Javier Urbaneja, Javier Tardaguila.
AWARDS
The Lovie Awards - Websites: Silver
El Sol - Websites: Bronze
El Sol - Integrated: Shortlist
Spanish Creative Circle - Digital: CdeC de Plata