Problem Solved: How A Snack Brand Turned Italian Football Fans into Canada Supporters
When Italy failed to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, a whole nation was devastated. Where would Italians direct their passion for football while the tournament played out from Qatar? They found their unexpected hero via Fonzies, Mondelez’s number one cheese-flavoured snack in Italy.
Alongside Dentsu Creative, the snack brand suggested to the 100 million Italians around the world a new team to get behind. The one with the fewest fans in the world: Canada.
With the Canadian men’s national team embarking on their first World Cup campaign in 36 years, Fonzies issued a global call for Italians to give their hearts, hands and voices to their football team with a video shared on social media.
Within a few days, a community of millions was born, and they cheered hard for Canada across Italian and Canadian cities. Even the Canadian ambassador and Italian TV joined forces in the spirit of ‘Forza Canada’.
It was Fonzies’ hope that the heat of the Italian fans would now give Canadians a real chance. Ultimately, they lost all three matches, but Italy embraced the team nevertheless.
In fact, Belgium-Canada the most-watched football match in Canadian history, with 8.9 million Canadians and 10.1 million Italians (54% Italian viewers) viewing the game. The project totalled 80 million global impressions. And, sales of the cheesy snack increased with each Canada match played (Canada-Belgium +7%, Canada-Croatia +12%, Canada Morocco + 18%).
LBB’s Alex Reeves spoke to Riccardo Fregoso, CCO at Dentsu Creative Italy and Martina Montorfano, marketing manager for salty snacks at Mondelez Italy, to hear how it happened.
LBB> Talk me through the story of Fonzies' 'Forza Canada'. Where did this campaign begin for each of you?
Martina> This story for Fonzies began in April 2022, after the very sad news that Italy had not qualified for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. It was truly a shock for all Italians, who are mad about football, and were expecting great results after having won the Euro Cup in 2021. Among all Italians, the shock was even stronger for us, with Fonzies being an official partner of the Italian national football team, and an entire marketing plan already built around this big event.
But, we did not give up. Instead, we worked together with our agencies to find a solution to keep Fonzies in the spotlight during the World Cup, while also giving our consumers a reason to be involved in the game, cheering for a team.
Riccardo> As we know, football in our country is a true religion. So, with the most passionate and insane football fans in the world having no one to cheer for, we transformed a brand’s weakness into a creative lever capable of touching the deepest emotions of our target. Even bad news can be turned into an excellent communication opportunity.
LBB> What insights or creative breakthroughs led you to the idea of turning Italian football fans into Canada supporters?
Riccardo> The creative team had thought of several routes, but as soon as I heard the idea behind ‘Forza Canada’, I knew that a great campaign could be born. This was thanks to two very interesting factors: an entire nation had lost one of its most sacred moments, but someone else had qualified (Canada, the nation with the fewest football fans in the world).That was the perfect storm, capable of creating synergies between the many capabilities of Dentsu Creative Italy: from social to live events, from branded entertainment to influencer marketing.
Thus, a business opportunity that seemed lost was born, and transformed into a major international project, well connected with our local culture and society.
LBB> What was the biggest challenge in making it happen?
Riccardo> The biggest challenge was to transform desperate Italian fans into genuine Canada supporters, without being perceived as opportunistic or superficial. ‘Forza Canada’ aimed at creating a sincere sense of community among them, giving all Italians the opportunity to cheer again, for real. And that worked, because the passion for football is capable of going way beyond borders. At the end of the day, that gives a real measure of the potential of this activation - not just a simple campaign, but an initiative capable of connecting with the real needs of our country.
LBB> And what's been most interesting about the results?
Riccardo> We saw Canadian flags in people’s windows, in the streets, and in the main squares of Italy. People filled the bars where Canada matches were broadcasted. We realised that something big was happening. 'Forza Canada' had become a movement, a real part of Italian culture.
We are particularly proud that Belgium-Canada was the most-watched football match in Canadian history, with 8.9 million Canadians and 10.1 million Italians (54% Italian viewers) spectating. To see an entire nation choosing to support another one is something truly special.
Martina> We were glad - and a bit surprised - in seeing so many people engaged and involved in supporting Canada. The activation was able to create a sense of community around the team, bringing people together to watch the games. We saw many comments and pieces of content from Italians, showcasing them cheering for Canada with the enthusiasm and passion that is part of our DNA.
LBB> For those outside of Italy, what is the background of Fonzies? And what does this campaign say about the brand's heritage?
Martina> Fonzies is an Italian salty jewel, born in 1979. A fun fact is that it was discovered in Australia in the ’70s, where it was sold as ‘Twisties’ and renamed Fonzies after the main character of the famous TV series, ‘Happy Days’. It is a unique and inimitable icon of taste: a tasty corn-based salty snack with cheese flavour and powder. A unique pleasure which involves all the senses - from the opening of the package to the last fleck of cheese powder - Fonzies gives you the extreme satisfaction of enjoying something that you really like, without hesitation. With the historical brand claim ‘If you don’t lick your finger, you enjoy only half’, Fonzies is inviting you to enjoy everything at its fullest, without half measures. That’s why it was impossible for a brand like this to give up when Italy was out of the World Cup; we needed to find a way to enjoy and celebrate during this big event. From this, a new campaign was born: ‘Forza Canada’… because ‘If you don’t support Canada, you enjoy only half!’.
LBB> Can you talk about Fonzies' broader plan for committing to sports? What are your big aims and why is it right for the snack brand?
Martina> Fonzies is the snack symbol of fun and enjoyment, and what is more fun than supporting your national teams in sports competitions, together with your friends and family? Everyone loves cheering for Italy, enjoying the show while eating salty snacks, and among them are our beloved Fonzies. We are proud to keep supporting the national teams, both for football and volleyball in the coming years! Fonzies - like the national Italian teams - brings people together, uniting generations and sports ‘enemies’. We share many values with the world of sport (fun, sharing, friendship, energy, coolness) and that’s why this territory is core to the brand plans. We will keep wearing the blue Italian shirt for the coming years as real partners, today in football and volleyball. Stay tuned to see which sports we will add to the list in the future!
LBB> Riccardo, you've been at Dentsu Creative for six months now. What have you been most proud of achieving in that time?
Riccardo> It’s been six extremely intense months, rich with new encounters and new challenges. If I had to sum it up, I’d say that at Dentsu Creative Italy, we have managed to create a real team, a group of people united by common values: doing the best that we can, always with positive spirit, humanity and respect. That’s what I’m the most proud of. The rest is just a consequence (winning new, important clients like Spotify, Campari Crodino and Amazon Prime Video). Winning the first gold for Dentsu Creative Italy at the Andy Awards (with ‘Forza Canada’ of course)… If the team is strong, nothing can stop it.
