HSV offers fans many engagement opportunities. In this case, however, it was more than that. It was the first campaign of its kind that focused on a social engagement during a real prime-time soccer match. Live, in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. A stunt that not only informed them, but encouraged all viewers to act with more compassion.

Over 6 million people in Germany cannot read and write properly. The majority of which suffer from dyslexia, a reading and spelling disorder. But the real problem is not dyslexia, it’s our society. In the age of social media, every spelling mistake, no matter how small, is immediately punished and interpreted as stupidity. However, dyslexia does not mean a lack of intelligence, but a neurological disorder.

Our idea: A wrong name for a right message. During an official Bundesliga match on Saturday evening, broadcasted on two TV channels and in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers, we sent two HSV players onto the field with intentionally misspelled names on their jerseys: "Heyer" became "Heya" and Meffert" became "Meffort". Just as people with dyslexia often mix up letters that sound or look similar.

The HSV is one of the oldest and best-known soccer clubs in Germany. A club that is aware of its social responsibility and regularly lives up to it through numerous initiatives. Therefore, during the European dyslexia awareness month October, the HSV wanted to make a positive statement to support those affected by dyslexia. And, to fight against the prejudices of this condition. The plan: Instead of commenting on the misspelled players, we wanted the fans and spectators notice it themselves. And we succeeded - a social media shit storm was soon to follow. During the halftime break, when the negative reactions had reached their peak, we clarified our actions on TV, inside the stadium and as well as on social media through the HSV channels.

The stunt took place on Saturday night, during the top match of the 2nd Bundesliga on October 30th 2021, which was broadcast live on television - on two TV channels.

So in our case, we only had a time frame of 90 minutes to reach the masses and create awareness for dyslexia. We briefed our two players Meffert and Heyer in advance and they were eager to support the cause. When the match started, they entered the field with the jerseys “Meffort” and “Heya” as usual. During halftime, each broadcaster was given a jersey and resolved the stunt live on TV and inside the stadium.

Daily newspapers, sports media, and tabloids: Throughout Germany, our jerseys made headlines. Within a few hours, we reached more than 267 million contacts. Three mixed-up letters turned into more than 2.4 million euros of media value. But most importantly: We saw a change of reactions of fans and followers on Social Media. Hate and malice turned into understanding and encouragement. Even those affected and their relatives spoke out. This way, we were able to show more than 6 million people that they are not alone. And that the HSV is actively supporting them with its numerous initiatives. So that all fans can enjoy football the same.