Over 1,000 people joined the event within just the first 5 minutes of the game. And they stayed on the adidas site for an average of 30 minutes. Many football fans ‘threw in’ while watching the game at home, at sports bars or outside the home. The campaign was featured in several media, and more than 500,000 people enthusiastically enjoyed the event. It also created a huge excitement on social media. There were throw-ins not only from Japan but also from around the world.

The Japanese national football team's games attract a great deal of attention. In particular the match against Jordan on March 26 received considerable public attention as Japan competed for a chance to secure a place in the next World Cup. A lot of Japanese media often interview football fans on the streets during matches. In order to take advantage of the situation, we used the wall of an eye-catching high-rise building in Tokyo’s Roppongi entertainment district as media, projecting gigantic images onto the wall. The campaign created a great PR opportunity, catching the attention of many people and media.

The final qualifier for the World Cup – a must-win to earn a World Cup place. As an official sponsor and supplier, adidas Japan wanted to turn the event into an opportunity to make a connection with its audience using the unifying theme of football.

The target audience was football fans in Japan. During football matches, they rely on their ever-present smartphones to stay connected with each other – whether at home, in sports bars, or even at the arena – and communicate real-time, collecting information and sharing reactions and generate dynamic connections among football fans in support of their team. To achieve this, we needed to create an event that was both impactful live but could also be shared and engaged with via smartphone.