Most people think that a cleft lip surgery is a long and complicated procedure. It is a little known fact that it can take 45-minutes. 45-minutes is just half a game of soccer. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. So the idea was to perform 2 cleft lip operations during big televised games of soccer, proving to millions that all it just takes 45-minutes to change a life.

We used a 3-phase approach in all regions. Before the big game we introduced the idea by getting coverage on major news outlets and publications and using an influencer strategy on social media. The next phase was during the game. We live tweeted the surgeries so viewers could follow the game and the surgeries at the same time. We used TV ads during the broadcast of the game as well as on field branding at the stadiums. The 3rd phase was to amplify the results and the stories of how the operation has positively impacted the lives of the children and their families. We released a 3-part YouTube documentary series to coincide with each phase. 

In South Africa 62 key influencers seeded the idea leading up to the game. We used in-game ads and the story was also picked up by publications like People Magazine and Soccer Laduma (SA’s biggest Soccer magazine and website). All of this led to 22 Million people being made aware of #Operation45 which led to an increase of child registrations of 400% of and a 78% increase of volunteers in South Africa.

The Operación 45 blog sought to highlight the various events taking place in Honduras as part of Operación 45 as well as share the stories of Maynor and Aleana, the two Operation Smile Honduras patients that were featured during the campaign5 celebrity influencers participated in this activation and filmed a short spot for the campaign. #Operación45 reached 25.5 Million people across South and North America with a 44.2% rating in Honduras, confirmed by Televicentro.