Bucharest, 10 November 2022.
Mullen and Golin launch a creative CSR campaign for Casa Pariurilor client in the form of a platform specialized in development programs for Romanian football players. The “Support for Supporters” campaign is a unique CSR program in Romania, which aims to support football performance and restore supporters’ confidence in their favorite teams.
The creative component of the campaign addresses the impact of the current state of Romanian football on the everyday world of fans with humor and insight taken from the real world of supporters. An online miniseries illustrates, comically and somewhat unromantically, the (fictional) cases of supporters of 5 different teams in the country, each in a different state of distress: denial, rebellion, bargaining, depression and resignation – experiences representative of many fans in Romania. The ambassador of the “Support for Supporters” campaign is Andrei Ștefănescu, artist and current captain of the Football Artists National Team.
The mini-series is also supported by a TV spot, a website and many other social media surprises.
“Romanian football is not at its best in history. What’s more, the supporters, the ones who keep the phenomenon alive and for whom it exists, are too seldom taken into consideration – or they are even the first to suffer. We were glad that the folks at Casa Pariurilor want to do something about it and together we developed a series of stories that draw their insights from the fan world itself, from the stands, even from the galleries. Because only supporters know what they go through, how many days they invest – and how they sometimes don’t even feel like eating for a whole day after walking for hundreds of miles to a game in the rain, only to lose like #! ^*%& – and then, on the way back, while you’re having a breakdown, that ‘friend’ who doesn’t know anything about football calls you, so that he can make his kindergarten jokes, as if he knew what kind of world he was living in…”, said Vladi Păunescu, Group Creative Director at MullenLowe and supporter of a Romanian team, whose statement was not related to our press release anymore.
Casa Pariurilor is the main sponsor of the Second Football League, as well as a supporter who wants to see Romanian football perform and catch up with European football. By launching the “Support for Supporters” campaign, Casa Pariurilor aims to address an important issue in Romanian football – performance and the factors that influence it.
“Romanian football needs at this moment a ray of hope, but above all, concrete actions. And this is where Casa Pariurilor comes in, whose mission is to support the passion for the game and performance, through “Support for Supporters”, a program addressed to both athletes and supporters – the devoted supporters who live every moment with intensity and who are directly influenced by the results on the field. We set out to tackle an important issue in Romanian football – performance and the factors that influence it – in a light-hearted, humorous way, but also with an optimistic outlook. We have chosen to discuss the current situation and to contribute to a start on solving it. We hope that the program implemented will have results and thus lay the foundations for a way of training that will influence the future generation of athletes”, said Alexandru Banu, Brand Manager Casa Pariurilor.
The campaign aims to develop a pilot-project, unique in Romania, starting with 40 footballers from League I and League II, divided into two series, participating for four months in a complex mental training program, combined with physical and nutritional elements, adapted to individual needs. This program combines 1-to-1 sessions of mental coaching, nutrition, and physical training between Romanian footballers and “Superbrain” specialists, a team with over five years of experience in the field.
“The importance of personal development and addressing issues off the field of play is a subject rarely touched upon by the sports press and sports public in Romania. We are trying to open a discussion about performance and how it can be achieved in Romanian football, how we can give fans hope and confidence in their favorite teams and how we can prepare the next generation of footballers for the future.” – Roxana Dibă, Managing Director, Golin.
Athletes interested in the program can apply by filling in a form on the website suportpentrusuporteri.ro, which follows a series of criteria: registration in League I or League II, age between 18-25 and an income of less than €3,000. The first 40 candidates who meet these criteria will be contacted to confirm their participation in the program.
Teams involved in the campaign:
Casa Pariurilor: Anca Musat (Marketing Director), Alexandru Banu (Brand Manager).
MullenLowe: Silviu Antohe (Executive Creative Director), Vladi Păunescu (Group Creative Director), Mario Francisco (Senior Art Director), Alina Georgescu (Art Director), Anca Iuhas (Head of Strategy), Adrian Radu (AV Director), Andra Panaitescu (Client Service Director), Anca Duță (Account Director), Silviu Clinciu (Account Manager), Cristi Lupu (Senior Account Executive).
Golin: Andreea Militaru (Head of Corporate), Calin Ichim (Project Manager), Bianca Ionescu (PR Manager), Tihamer Bokor (Junior Media Associate), Cristina Stroiu (Senior Digital Associate).
