We were approached by Axis Studios and The David Agency on behalf of Supercell to encourage lapsed and casual players to download and play global mobile game Clash of Clans. Supercell had never worked directly with an athlete to combine animation and live action to create a film like this. Consequently, they needed a production agency, and this is where Founder Creative came in.
To announce Erling Haaland in the most compelling way, the consensus was that he needed to feature in person as opposed to a purely animated character. His animated character would be an exciting payoff for fans, but to maximise the value of him as a brand ambassador, the recommendation was to have a mix of live and in-game action.
As such, the film begins with Erling Haaland relaxing at home before being rudely interrupted by Clash of Clans’ favourite characters, desperate to recruit him to their clan. Haaland dodges several attacks before being transported into the animated Clash of Clans universe, where he helps the clan take down a rival one.
Not only did Founder Creative support the live action production side, but we also had direct creative input into how the live action should be integrated into the main film.
Due to Erling Haaland’s limited availability, Founder Creative was approached with a relatively short timeline. Utilising our experience of working with some of the world’s leading athletes, we recommended that we needed two days of shooting to capture the necessary content.
Bearing in mind that due to contractual clauses, Haaland would be limited in the physical activity he could do, we found a location close to Manchester to provide easy access for Erling while simultaneously organising a separate day with an identical setup for a body double, to capture all the movement and action needed with our choreography team. That was captured on a separate shoot day which allowed us to cut our clips filmed directly with Erling into the sequence we’d already shot a few weeks earlier.
Additionally, we had a second shoot day with Erling in Oslo, Norway to capture additional social content which became shoulder content for the main campaign to drive more views across Haaland’s personal and Supercell’s channel.
We also shot the stills for the campaign which made it onto billboards and into printed media around the world to further amplify the moment.
The film became an instant viral hit globally. On Supercell’s main YouTube channel, the film garnered 15 million views within the first 48 hours, rising to 63.5 million as of January 2025. The ad went to capture headlines with global news outlets including the BBC, The New York Times and ESPN, amassing over 150 million views across socials in the first few weeks after launch.
In-game, the film resulted in a record number of downloads and the percentage of new players entering the game was up 150%. Having seen the success that 'Haaland for the Win!' brought to Clash of Clans, Supercell are now looking towards more live action and animation spots in this realm, with increased ambassadorial and commercial partnerships moving forward.
Haaland for the Win! exemplifies the innovative use of social and digital media. By integrating one of the world’s biggest sports stars into a cross-media campaign, we were able to leverage Erling Haaland’s global appeal to captivate audiences worldwide. The strategic use of social and digital media amplified the campaign’s reach, turning it into a cultural moment that resonated far beyond the gaming community.
