STUNT-BASED SPORTS CAMPAIGN
SCAD PROJECT (2025)
URAWA HIJACKING
Instead of competing for the FIFA Club World Cup trophy, this campaign reframes the tournament as an opportunity for Japanese team Urawa Red Diamonds to steal the global spotlight and leave their mark in the international football community.
FIFA CLUB WORLD CUP
is a football tournament that brings together 32 of the best teams in the world, including the most passionate fanbases from all continents.
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URAWA RED DIAMONDS
are the only Japanese club in the competition: they gather a massive following nationally, but have very limited brand recognition abroad.
THE OBJECTIVE
With no real ambition of winning the tournament, Urawa found a new goal: leveraging the global spotlight of the event to introduce the club to international audiences, positioning the Red Diamonds as a recognizable reference for Japanese football and culture through the development of specific emotional connections.
THE STRATEGY
Release a limited-edition shirt following a global launch campaign centered around...
THE STUNT
On their third and final match, the Red Diamonds will enter the pitch wearing all-white uniforms, but they'll be made from a water-reactive material that will reveal the shirt design as the game unfolds, with rain, sweat, and tears.
SHIRT DESIGN
LOGO
Custom made for the campaign, incorporating the Earth and a centered red diamond.
BALL
Designed as world globe.
GODZILLA
Giant player references the iconic Japanese character.
SAITAMA
The home town of the Red Diamonds.
MAKING IT GLOBAL
As Urawa's new shirt is revealed on the pitch, white posters scattered around the world - surrounding the stadiums of every participating club - will be activated to display their own designs: images of historic players from each respective club, all portrait in the same Japanese woodblock style as the illustration created for the shirt.
Mysterious white posters will be placed at the beginning of the tournament, so the Red Diamonds can tease other club's fanbases online during the two first rounds of the event.
Once the posters are revealed, they'll be left in site until the end of the tournament, serving as geofencing gates to access a digital store where fans can buy the Urawa shirt and poster related to their specific club and location.
BRINGING THE CONCEPT TO LIFE
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
MARACANÃ (FLAMENGO)
ZICO
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
LA BOMBONERA (BOCA JUNIORS)
DIEGO ARMANDO MARADONA
MILAN, ITALY
STADIO GIUSEPPE MEAZZA (INTER)
RONALDO NAZÁRIO
INTENDED IMPACT
Rather than relying on athletic performance, Urawa left a mark as a cultural participant in a global football moment. Long after the tournament ends, the Red Diamonds becomes recognizable as “the Japanese club that did that reveal,” “the team behind that poster of our player,” or simply “the Asian club whose shirt I own.”
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In a landscape where clubs increasingly attempt to buy global relevance through star signings and sponsorships, this campaign proposes an alternative path: using culture, design, and symbolism to earn attention - and keep it.
CASE STUDY VIDEO
