Most people in Germany expected Mario Götze, who shot Germany to the Football Championship in Brazil, to play again in the 2018 World Cup. But after a rocky season, he wasn't nominated by Germany's head coach Jogi Löw.

Samsung as a sponsor of both, Germany's national football team as well as Mario Götze himself, chose to stand by the midfielder and thus told the story of his defeat in an unusually honest way. And, by doing so, also conveyed Mario's personal message to the whole nation: That he will do everything in his power to come back stronger than ever.

Set to the song and lyrics of the song “HURT” in the iconic cover version of Johnny Cash as well as original soundbites from press and TV, we tell the story of Mario Götze, the famous scorer of Germany’s winning 2014 World Cup goal – and how his hopes where brutally smashed of being part of 2018 national football team due to an injury and a low performance.

But feeling encouraged by people across all of Germany, and by reminding himself of his greatest achievement, Mario shares two important messages with his former teammates and with his fans: that he wishes them all the best for the World Cup, and that he will “will find a way” – working harder than ever for a comeback. Because while you can’t always win, you should always keep trying.

"Hurt", originally written by Trenz Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, became a career-defining song for the late Johnny Cash. While the lyrics literally deal with drug abuse and depression, they also speak in a broader sense of doubts and personal defeats – but also maintain a glimmer of hope or the promise of redemption.

It was this metaphorical match to the acute state of Mario Götze's career combined with the harsh contrast the song posed against the usually highly energetic, hip-hop-culture influenced music often associated with sports commercials, that promised to be a disruptive and compelling choice.

A choice that could instantly grab the audience's attention while for once presenting Mario Götze not as some elevated sports hero, but a human being, fractured yet unbroken. And thus turn Samsung into the champion, no matter what, for anybody who has to overcome barriers in life.

Results and impact related to the use of the "Hurt":

220M impressions and reach

+150% of streamings of „Hurt“ on SPOTIFY during the campaign period

+377% of streamings of „Hurt“ on APPLE MUSIC(!) during the campaign period

+894% of SHAZAMS during the campaign period

„Hurt“ becoming the #1 song on the German AMAZON streaming charts

Finally, the commercial and its song struck such a strong chord with the audience across all media, that "Hurt" was picked up as the closing song by national television channel ZDF after the German team's historical defeat and elimination in the first round of the World Cup.