IFK Helsinki – For the red-hearted

Creative idea

IFK Helsinki, 'The Reds', is the most hated and loved sports team in Finland. The setup is classic: the capital city vs the rest of the country. The more the rest of the country despises IFK, the more our fans love it. Instead of targeting our campaign to our hometown, we targeted it to other league cities. We led fans of other teams to believe it was an ad for their team by using their dialects, team nicknames, and stories until the truth was revealed: In the end, all fans are red at heart and support the Reds, IFK Helsinki.

Brand name: IFK Helsinki
Advertiser / client: IFK Helsinki
Product / service: Ice hockey team & Finnish National Hockey League
Campaign name: For the red-hearted
Agency network: INDEPENDENT AGENCY
Agency: hasan & partners, Helsinki
Additional company: IFK Helsinki, InkFish Studios
Agency chief executive officer: Riku Vassinen
Creative director: Jaakko Utter, Timi Petersen
Designer: Mikko Oksanen, Jonni Aaltonen, Viktor Granbacka
Agency producer: Petri Österlund