THE 12TH MAN.

180 AMSTERDAM Every Team Needs the 12th Man is an inescapable truth in football. Picture this, AC Milan are playing Liverpool in the 2005 Champions League final. Liverpool are three nil down at halftime. All is lost. Until the resounding voices of the 12th Men of the Cop, singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ permeates down the tunnel. The result is a different team comes out in the second half. That team scores three and wins on penalties.

Working in tandem with Liverpool, AC Milan, Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, the philosophy of Every Team Needs the 12th Man is delivered. From each club genuine fans are chosen and the result is a variety of executions hitting digital, retail and print.

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In print, the clubs’ 12th Men are shown to be helping out on the pitch.  One lines up a free kick, another stands in a wall in front of goal, another waits for a cross to head at the target. In retail, the 12th Man idea is integrated in adidas stores all over Europe, in windows, foyers and next to the team shirts.

In digital, an entire club experience is created. Fans sign up and take the challenge to prove that they’re good enough to be a 12th Man. The club quiz format is randomized, which means there’s no cheating from armchair fans. Along with Facebook initiatives, fans are also able to interact with the club shirts and learn about the design details. The total number of visits to the football site tops 1,897,719. Digital films featuring the 12th Men taking charge of team training sessions are seeded into the clubs’ and fans’ websites and blogs. Other digital films showing the 12th Men presenting new kits are also seeded. All of these films score big hits, right where you want them, in the heart of the fan base. They are also delivered to a wide range of video channels and to adidas.TV