The failure of the Italian national team to qualify for the World Cup held sway in the worldwide media. It was necessary to find an idea that would allow us to exploit this media echo in the original way. Forza Canada made it possible, telling a story of passionate cheering by shifting the attention of the Italian football community. The idea of turning Italian fans into Canadian fans quickly went around the world in the national and international press, generating a total of 100+ mentions, with a massive coverage for Fonzies.

Football is a strong strategic field for Fonzies (the #1 Mondelēz cheese-flavored snack in Italy) so much as to become the official sponsor of the Italian national football team. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar was a key moment for Fonzies to cultivate and strengthen an emotional connection with its consumers and Italian football enthusiasts. Unfortunately, Italy didn’t qualify: how could we make the most out of an event as important as the world championship anyway? And how to engage and activate millions of teamless and purposeless Italian fans?

Italians live and breathe football. It’s not just the most popular sport in the country, it's a true religion. In 2022 though, things went to hell due to one unexpected piece of news: Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. The most passionate football fans in the world were devastated, having no one to cheer for. An entire nation had lost one of its holiest moments.

After a context analysis we found out that Canada has the fewest football fans in the world, while the national team has qualified for the first time since 1986. They were the ones who needed Italian passionate support the most. That is why Fonzies swooped in with Forza Canada, the first activation that turned desperate Italian fans into die hard Canadian fans. By launching the first Canada football fan club in Italy, and thanks to famous sport influencers, we coached a whole nation on social media to support Canada. Then we invited millions of Italians to cheer at live events during Canada matches. This is how we created a huge "Canada Mania" across Italy, turning a potentially missed opportunity for the brand into one of huge visibility.

Football is a religion for Italians. They cannot live without it. So, when Italy did not qualify, we made a simple call to action to the entire nation with a strong key message: “Join us to support the nation who needs it the most: Canada.” To engage the whole community of Italian football fans we created the first Forza Canada Fan Club in Italy, and we gave out the official Forza Canada fan kit.

In October 2022 we launched the first Canada fan club in Italy by making a national call to action on social media with sport influencers and across Italian cities with an OOH campaign. But being a dedicated fan takes practice, so we trained the entire nation to support Canada by giving members a set of tutorials to learn the Canadian national anthem, the best chants, and right players names pronunciations. Then we gave out the official fan kit on social media (GIFs, stickers, cards) and on the streets (t-shirts, caps, scarfs) so that millions of Italians could become perfect Canadian fans. During Canada's matches, with our special live coverage, the Canadian fans community unleashed all its passion on social media and at special events at pubs across major Italian cities (Milan, Rome, Turin, Naples, Florence, Venice).

The news about the Forza Canada project made so much noise that it was mentioned in 100+ articles on national (e.g. ANSA, RAI, La Gazzetta Dello Sport) and international online press (e.g. Class CNBC, The Guardian, The World News). Even the Italian Ambassador of Canada to Italy joined Forza Canada with a dedicated tweet. Also, the number one Italian sportscaster (Andrea Stramaccioni) mentioned us during the Canada - Croatia match.

Forza Canada totaled 80 million Organic impressions, 40 million Global Social Reach, a 6.5% Engagement Rate, and 2.6 million Social Media interactions.

10.1 million Italian viewers (54% of the audience) turned Belgium-Canada into the most-watched football match in the Canadian history.

In just three Canada matches, Fonzies sales increased up to 18% and it gained 96% positive brand sentiment, becoming the most beloved snack brand in Italy despite Italy not having even qualified.