Montreal’s Little Italy set out to bring thousands of soccer fans together under the guise of their dislike for a team from another country: Sweden.

During the FIFA World Cup, Italian fans gather in the Montreal neighbourhood to cheer for their beloved national team in cafés, bars and restaurants. Business booms as street traffic and sales explode. But in 2018, for the first time in 60 years, the Italian team failed to qualify for the competition, as it was defeated by Sweden. As a result, local businesses expected a decrease in interest amongst soccer fans.

Montreal’s Little Italy and Rethink put a spotlight on the neighbourhood and invited Montrealers to come watch the games, even if their favourite team couldn’t play.

With tongue-in-cheek wit, Little Italy invited fans to cheer for “Anyone But Sweden.”

The Gold Seasonal & Event Success and Gold Small Budget, Big Impact-winning campaign came to life through multiple touchpoints, from in-bar ads to a scarf that was made using all of the participating countries’ flags (except for Sweden, naturally).

The campaign was a success, with hundreds of user content shared and businesses enjoying a busier season than expected.