Orange and Marcel used VFX to challenge stereotypes in football

Football is more than just a sport. It's a cultural phenomenon that transcends borders, languages, and identities. It's also a powerful platform for social change, as Orange and Marcel demonstrated with their latest campaign for the France national football team.

The campaign, titled "The Compil des Bleues," aimed to challenge one of the most persistent prejudices against women's football: that the players are less skilled than their male counterparts. To do this, they created a stunning compilation of technical moves from the women's team, disguised as the men's team, using visual effects.

The result is a mind-blowing video that shows the female players performing incredible feats of dribbling, passing, shooting, and scoring while wearing men's jerseys and hairstyles. The video then reveals the true identity of the players with a strong message: "When Orange supports les Bleus, Orange supports les Bleues."

The campaign was launched on June 28th, ahead of the women's team's first match in their most important international competition of the year, against Jamaica. The video was distributed across various online platforms, targeting football fans who might have never watched or appreciated women's football before.

The campaign was not only a creative and technical feat but also a strategic one. By using VFX to alter the appearance of the female players, Orange and Marcel could leverage the men's team's popularity and credibility while highlighting the talent and potential of the women's team. The campaign also aligned with Orange's long-standing commitment to supporting all types of football and its partnership with the French Football Federation since 2018.

The campaign was a huge success, generating millions of views, likes, and comments on social media and positive coverage from major sports outlets such as L’Équipe, BeIN Sports, and Foot Mercato. The campaign also sparked a conversation about gender equality and diversity in football, as well as raising awareness and interest in the women's team and their upcoming matches.

Credits

Orange  
Commercial & POS Communication and Creation Chief : Quentin Delobelle 
Advertising Director : Ombline Thomine-Desmazures 
Brand Creative Director : Annabel Salesa
Video Production Manager : Caroline Fortabat 
Advertising Manager : Jean-Philippe Francisco
Partnerships Managers : Antoine Maillard, Laetitia Lauron et Mikel Sarriquet
Media and Influence Managers : Alexis Dreyfus, Isabelle Spanu et Morgan Challand

Marcel   
Co-CEOs : Pascal  Nessim et Charles Georges-Picot
Chief Creative Officers: Gaëtan du Peloux & Youri Guerassimov
Creative Director: : Xavier  Le Boullenger
Copywriter : Antonin Jacquot
Art Director : Vincent Teffene
Ass. Art Director : Sam Salou
Motion Designer : Julien Taillez
Social Media Creative : Mathieu Borza
Associate Director :  Eric Guillod 
Account Director : Solène Raverdy
Directrice de Projet : Eva Castrillo
Project Manager : Antoine Zago-Meyer
Strategic Planner : Margaux Grenouilloux 

Publicis Conseil 
Executive Creative Director : Fabrice Delacourt 
Client Lead :  Anne Dauvé

Production - Prodigious
Head of Production : Timothé Rosenberg 
Post Production Manager : Franck-Hervé Marc
Post-producer : Jonathan Keita
Lead Flame Artist - VFX Supervisor : Nicolas Vogel
VFX : Sébastien Delecour, Sylysak Taidonekhong, Emilia Redondy, Luc Noehringer, Guillaume Riboulet,
Louis Nicod, François-Xavier Clément, Paul Crézé, Léo Auger, Adrien Vernier, Mathieu Cabaret
Chief Editor : Mickäel Bandela

Archive Research - Les Artisans du Film
Producers : Valéry du Peloux & Sixtine Busetti 
Archivists : Rethi Tan (Lead) & Pouria Hossein-Pour 

Sound Production - Prodigious
Sound Producer : Joël Tessonneau
Sound Engineer : Olivier Vehert 

The Compil des Bleues is a brilliant example of how brands can use creativity and technology to create impactful, engaging content that challenges stereotypes and promotes social causes.