Equiti Group has released its FIFA World Cup marketing ad, which steps away from the storyboard of a traditional football advertisement to focus on the emotion of the game and reinforce Equiti’s brand approach of putting people at the centre of every story.
The creative was brought together through the campaign message, “Anything can happen. The next great story starts here,” drawing a connection between defining moments in football and the opportunities that can emerge in the markets.
The campaign was developed in-house by Equiti Group, with its team leading the creative concept, messaging and overall creative direction. To bring the visuals to life, the brand partnered with Allar Haltsonen and his Estonia-based creative company, Huex Labs, on the campaign’s AI video production.
In an exclusive conversation with Campaign Middle East, Albert Lotter, Head of Creative at Equiti Group, revealed, “Using the AI platform Magnific, we created realistic supporter moments inspired by genuine fan reactions, even building AI profiles from photographs of our own team to make the characters feel more authentic. Throughout production, we paid close attention to facial expressions and emotion to ensure the final result felt real rather than typically AI-generated.”
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Strategy and rollout of the Equiti FIFA World Cup campaign
The objective of the campaign was to strengthen Equiti’s brand awareness by connecting with audiences through one of most passionately followed cultural moments—football.
The campaign was designed to reinforce Equiti’s brand values of ambition, optimism, and possibility, while creating a deeper emotional connection with consumers. Furthermore, as part of its current brand evolution, Equiti Group aimed to incorporate culture into our creative output.
Talking to Campaign Middle East, Mukesh Kaparthi, Head of Paid-to-Partner and MarTech Acquisition at Equiti Group, said, “Football is driven by anticipation. Before every match, fans believe they could witness something unforgettable — a breakthrough moment, an unexpected outcome, or the start of a new chapter. This sense of possibility is what makes the sport so compelling.”
He added, “The campaign was inspired by this shared optimism and excitement. Through the platform, The Next Great Story Starts Here, we celebrate the idea that every memorable story begins with a moment of belief, and that in football, as in life, anything can happen.”
The campaign was rolled out through an integrated media strategy spanning digital video, connected TV (CTV), premium sports publishers, programmatic media, social media, digital display, and owned communication channels.
The approach was designed to engage audiences in the environments where football conversations and moments naturally happen. By leveraging premium digital media, video, social platforms, and high-impact placements, the brand was able to maximise visibility and deliver the campaign message at scale.
Kaparthi said, “The channel mix was selected to create broad awareness, drive engagement, and ensure consistent brand presence throughout the football season. As for the approach, our creative strategy, was to ensure that we appeal to all football enthusiasts and a broader demographic.”
Audience insights and success metrics
The campaign, which spans the MENA and Central Africa region, targeted a broad audience across the brand’s key markets, with a particular focus on football fans, sports enthusiasts and culturally engaged consumers.
The creative was designed to resonate with anyone who believes in ambition, possibility, and the excitement of what comes next. Its duration is aligned with major FIFA-related moments and, as such, it will run throughout the FIFA WC season to maximise engagement and audience reach.
Success is being measured against brand-building objectives, including awareness, reach, visibility, audience engagement and overall campaign impact.
Lotter said, “The focus is on strengthening brand presence and creating meaningful connections with audiences during a highly relevant cultural moment. We are monitoring reach, impressions, video engagement, audience interactions, social engagement, brand visibility, and overall media effectiveness across channels. These indicators help us understand how audiences are engaging with the campaign and inform ongoing optimisation efforts.”
CREDITS:
Client: Equiti Group
Creative output: Equiti’s in-house creative team
AI creative company: Huex Labs led by Allar Haltsonen
