It is three weeks until the start of the US Open tennis tournament and also for the launch of The Promisefor Barilla, created by Boomerang, part of Publicis Groupe. A unique and moving story of a young fan who meets his hero at a match.
During the press conference of US Open of 2017, Roger Federer he was challenged by a fan and tennis player named Zizou. He asked Roger if he could keep playing until he was old enough to play him when the time came. Federer gave him his word – or “almost”, as he defined it at the time – and the video went viral.
Boomerang wanted to connect Barilla’s new campaign to the famous news moment from five years ago. Now, Federer is ready to make good on his promise and surprise his young fan with the match of a lifetime.
It was not an easy task to fly Zizou to Zurich, Switzerland, without his knowledge, but with the help of Zizou’s family and his coach, they made it possible. There was no room for error, as the goal of the campaign was to show a heartfelt moment between an elite athlete and a fan. Zizou did not know that he would meet Federer until the very moment.
Dio Santos, creative director of Boomerang, said: “Zizou’s reaction to seeing Federer was very moving and he delivered much more than we expected. He gave the film the life and personality that he deserved.”
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