“IT ALL STARTS WITH PANINI” - OFFICIAL STICKER COLLECTION CAMPAIGN

LEAD AGENCY: ATHLETE SPORTS AGENCY
PRODUCTION AGENCY: AFFIXXIUS
DIRECTOR: DAVID WHAYMAN
PRODUCER: LIAM WADD
HEAD OF POST: PETE BLACK
EDITOR: FREDDY ANGELL
VFX: ANDY KIERNAN
MOTION GRAPHICS: JONNY NORTON
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: TIM CABRELLI

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

CAMPAIGN STRATEGY

INTERNATIONAL VERSIONING

SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT

CASTING

PRODUCTION

VFX

POST PRODUCTION

COLOUR GRADE

SOUND MIX

SOCIAL CUTDOWNS

DRONE CAPTURE

STILL IMAGERY CAPTURE

THE BRIEF WASN’T TO ANNOUNCE A PRODUCT. IT WAS TO RECREATE THE FEELING OF OPENING A PACK.

AFFIXXIUS PARTNERED WITH ATHLETE MANAGEMENT AGENCY WE ARE ATHLETE TO PRODUCE THE HERO CAMPAIGN FILM FOR PANINI’S OFFICIAL LICENSED STICKER COLLECTION OF THE FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ — A PRODUCT DISTRIBUTED ACROSS MORE THAN 150 COUNTRIES, WITH OVER FIVE DECADES OF CULTURAL HISTORY BEHIND IT.

THE CAMPAIGN NEEDED TO LAND ACROSS EVERY MARKET, EVERY PLATFORM, AND EVERY FORMAT — FROM BROADCAST TO SOCIAL, ACROSS FIVE INTERNATIONAL TERRITORIES AND MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. THAT MEANT ONE HERO CONCEPT STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY THE WEIGHT, AND AN INTERNATIONAL VERSIONING STRATEGY BUILT AROUND IT.

THE CREATIVE IDEA CENTRED ON TWO CHILDREN OPENING PACKS AT A KITCHEN TABLE, AND DISCOVERING THAT EACH STICKER THEY REVEALED DIDN’T JUST GO INTO AN ALBUM — IT TORE OPEN REALITY. LEGENDS APPEARED IN THE ROOM. FOOTBALL ICONS WALKED THROUGH THE DOOR.

THE CAST BROUGHT THAT IDEA TO LIFE. LEGENDARY REFEREE PIERLUIGI COLLINA. ITALIAN FOOTBALL ICON ROBERTO BAGGIO. TRANSFER JOURNALIST FABRIZIO ROMANO. AND ENGLAND CAPTAIN HARRY KANE — THE FACE OF THE UK AND INTERNATIONAL VERSION OF THE CAMPAIGN.

AFFIXXIUS LED ALL CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION AND POST-PRODUCTION FROM THE GROUND UP. AS THE CAMPAIGN PROGRESSED, THE TEAM TOOK DIRECT OWNERSHIP OF CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS ACROSS EACH TERRITORY, DEALING WITH PANINI DIRECTLY ON ALL CREATIVE DECISIONS AND DELIVERY.

THE POST-PRODUCTION WAS AMONG THE MOST INTENSIVE THE COMPANY HAS UNDERTAKEN — EXTENSIVE VFX SEQUENCES, MAGICAL TRANSFORMATION EFFECTS, AND A GRADE THAT HAD TO HOLD ACROSS BROADCAST AND SOCIAL SIMULTANEOUSLY, ALL BUILT AND FINISHED IN-HOUSE.

NO THIRD-PARTY POST HOUSE. NO HANDED-OFF EFFECTS WORK. EVERY FRAME OWNED FROM BRIEF TO DELIVERY.

BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE MAKING THE FILM FOR THE OFFICIAL STICKER COLLECTION OF THE BIGGEST FOOTBALL EVENT ON THE PLANET, THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS CLOSE ENOUGH.

HERO FILM — 60” (BROADCAST & ONLINE)

30” CUTDOWN — BROADCAST & ONLINE

BOTH DELIVERED IN 16:9 AND 9:16

FIVE INTERNATIONAL TERRITORY VERSIONS (UK/INTERNATIONAL, USA, SWITZERLAND, MEXICO, FRANCE)

TEASER CAMPAIGN — ‘LET THE GAMES BEGIN’ — FEATURING PIERLUIGI COLLINA AND ROBERTO BAGGIO

DREAM TEAM SOCIAL VIDEO SERIES

DRONE STADIUM FOOTAGE

SOCIAL CUTDOWNS ACROSS MULTIPLE FORMATS AND TERRITORIES

PR AND CAMPAIGN STILLS

SOCIAL STATS PENDING

MORE THAN NUMBERS, THE REACTION SAID EVERYTHING.

COLLINA, BAGGIO, ROMANO AND KANE. FOUR NAMES THAT MEAN SOMETHING TO FOOTBALL FANS IN EVERY TERRITORY THE CAMPAIGN RAN ACROSS. THE CASTING ALONE CUT THROUGH, AND THE REACTION IN THE COMMENTS PROVED IT.

FOOTBALL FANS WHO GREW UP WITH STICKER ALBUMS RECOGNISED IT IMMEDIATELY. YOUNGER AUDIENCES DISCOVERED THE RITUAL FOR THE FIRST TIME. PEOPLE WHO HADN’T THOUGHT ABOUT PANINI IN TWENTY YEARS — ALL OF THEM IN THE COMMENTS, SHARING THE MEMORY OF A PACK TORN OPEN IN A SCHOOL PLAYGROUND.

THAT’S WHAT THE RIGHT CREATIVE IDEA DOES. IT DOESN’T JUST REACH AN AUDIENCE. IT FINDS THEM WHERE THEY ALREADY LIVE.

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THIS PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS AFFIXXIUS’ EXPERTISE IN DELIVERING HIGH-END SPORTS ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS, INCLUDING TV COMMERCIALS, BRANDED CONTENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA ASSETS FOR GLOBAL BRANDS. FROM FOOTBALL PARTNERSHIP LAUNCHES TO ATHLETE-LED STORYTELLING, OUR IN-HOUSE PRODUCTION MODEL ENABLES RAPID TURNAROUND WITHOUT COMPROMISING ON QUALITY.