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The Fanager

GAIS

Issue 50 | February 2019

Agency

Milk

Creative Team

Copywriters Anders Malm, Anders Holmström Art Directors Niklas Olovsson, Andreas Bergendahl, Kristofer Salsborn Production Manager Marcus Aggfelt

Production Team

D.O.P. Mikael Göthage, Johannes Berner

Other Credits

Account Anna Reynold

Date

December 2017 – December 2018

Background

Gothenburg-based GAIS is one of the oldest football clubs in Sweden. However, a long run of poor results meant that they lagged far behind local rivals IFK Gothenburg in terms of trophies won. Despite their supporters having a reputation for passion and loyalty to the green-and-blacks, sales of season tickets had dropped to an all-time low.

Idea

The team turned to the fans and asked them for help in turning results around.

They invited season ticket holders to apply for the position of Fanager. One uber-fan would get the chance to coach the side for the important game against Halmstad.

This would prove that football is a team effort where fans and players win or lose as one.

Results

Sebastian Thörnquist won the draw and got to coach the side.

There was much interest in the media and Sebastian was interviewed on radio and on TV.

Season ticket sales increased 21.9%.

Our Thoughts

On the surface, this looks like a stunt that attracted media interest for the short week that Sebastian Thörnquist was nominally in charge of GAIS. For me, though, the interesting part of the idea is the longerlasting relationship between Thörnquist and all the other fans. Throughout the season he became a conduit for their hopes and fears as well as their ideas for what to do in his few days as coach. He was also able to feed back to them the thoughts and feelings of the players.

I can’t help thinking that there is a much longer video/documentary in this. At its heart is the simple human truth, that we all think we can do better than the actual coach. But we can’t. As Sebastian discovered when GAIS lost, again.