World ID Helps the Other Leo Messi Prove His ​​Humanity

Leonel 'Leo' Messi is not Lionel 'Leo' Messi, but his life is intertwined with that of the Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward and captains for Major League Soccer, Inter Miami and the Argentina national team. It's very complicated for Leo to open social media accounts, and prove he is a real person, because many online systems confuse him as a bot for Lionel Messi. To combat this for Leo, and millions of people who are outside the digital economic system, Grey and the team helping build Worldcoin step in to prove that they are, in fact, unique human beings. 

Worldcoin is building tools for the upcoming age of AI and at the heart of the Worldcoin protocol is World ID, a secure and private digital passport that verifies an individual’s humanness (not identity) to help distinguish people from bots and fake accounts online.  

Worldcoin has been active in Argentina as a result of its rapid evolution and adoption of new technologies. Through the real-life story of Leo Messi, Worldcoin seeks to convey the advantages of using the World ID and highlight the opportunities offered by the platform for distinguishing between humans and bots and access to global financial services. 

John Patroulis, CMO of Tools for Humanity, a team supporting Worldcoin, shared “As AI makes it increasingly difficult to distinguish between what’s real and what isn’t in the digital world, World ID offers a way to prove you’re human online without having to reveal anything else about yourself. World ID verifies that you are a unique human - so we expressed that through the story of a unique human in Argentina.” 

Titled 'The Other Messi,' this 360° strategic campaign focuses on the need to differentiate between humans and bots in an era of AI and will include print, digital, television, and outdoor advertising, as well as social media, and is designed to reach a wide audience across the country. 

Mariano Favetto and Joaquin Ares, ECDs from Grey, “When we thought about how to communicate this, we knew it needed to be a very real human story based on proving humanness in this new digital world. So, we looked for the person who must be having the hardest time of all: Leo Messi. No, not that one. Leonel Adrian Messi, a 56-year-old who shared many stories about how his name has made his life impossible.” 

The campaign runs until the end of May and represents an important opportunity for all Argentinians to learn about and better understand the scope and benefits of World ID and the Worldcoin protocol.