Direct > Digital & Social
FREUNDLICHE GRUSSE, Zurich / ALL OUT / 2023
Overview
Credits
Why is this work relevant for Direct?
“Unplay The Hate” by LGBT+ movement All Out was the first global protest in the metaverse, taking place in “FIFA World” on Roblox. We created a toolkit with protest shirts and accounts with ready-made avatars, so people from all over the world could participate. We directly adressed a new target group - gamers - to take part in the protest and reached 2000 people to use our toolkit to protest without the fear of repercussions. The metaverse protest pioneered a new way of digital activism, allowing more people than ever to take a stand.
Background
The FIFA World Cup 2022 took place in Qatar, which has long been considered to be one of the unsafest places in the world for members of the LGBT+ community. Any homosexual act can be punished with up to three years in prison or the death penalty. And FIFA didn't take any action to ensure the safety of LGBT+ football fans.
Since protesting for LGBT+ rights in Qatar is impossible, All Out was looking for a safe way to take a stand against the abuse of LGBT+ rights in Qatar and pressure FIFA to take action.
Describe the creative idea
Because protesting in real Qatar is illegal, we organized a protest in virtual Qatar: FIFA World on metaverse platform Roblox. We took over the center stage of FIFA’s headquarters in the metaverse and created a protest toolkit that allowed activists from around the world to take a stand against the hate without the fear of repercussions.
Describe the strategy
By taking the protest to the metaverse, we encouraged more people than ever to take a stand for LGBT+ rights: Being able to protest from the comfort of their home as an avatar on Roblox allowed members of the LGBT+ community to raise their voice in a safe space without the fear of repercussions.
The metaverse protest helped All Out to get in touch with a new and younger audience – namely gamers – and inspire them to take action in a way that fits them.
Describe the execution
Two days before the start of the tournament, we gathered activists from around the globe and took over the center stage of FIFA World. To ensure our protest is not banned, we spread the message across seventeen avatars, each protester carrying a single letter. Together, they formed the message: FIFA UNPLAY THE HATE.
Following the kick-off, we invited everyone to take to the Metaverse and protest. To make participating as easy as possible, we created virtual protest shirts and even accounts with ready-made avatars – so everyone could join the protest from the safety of their home.
List the results
- approx. 2000 people used our toolkit to protest during the world cup as individuals or groups.
- 2 Million impressions of earned media
- Engagement with All Out Social Channels increased by 30% during the campaign.
- Full Media Coverage by all big media outlets in Switzerland, Fifa's location.
- International coverage from major media around the globe (from Germany to Brasil, US, Japan, Vietnam, China) resulting in total approx. 1.4 Million media buying equivalent through earned media
- All Out was able to develop a new interest group – gamers – directly through the protest on roblox and through coverage in tech blogs etc.
- Most importantly, the metaverse protest has pioneered a new way for activism in the digital age, allowing more people than ever to take action without the fear of repercussions
Is there any cultural context that would help the jury understand how this work was perceived by people in the country where it ran?
Fifa is based in Switzerland, and much of the international pressure is addressed towards Switzerland. So it was important to the client All Out and involved partners, to have a big effect in Switzerland (Press coverage etc.), so that it will bring the public in Switzerland to put pressure on it’s domestical association.
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