The Halftime Campaign
The word needs a halftime talk
The challenge
At halftime, the world was behind
September 2023 marked the halfway point between the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 and their 2030 deadline.
But with just 15% of the Goals on track, progress was falling far short of what was needed. The challenge was to convince leaders and the public that this was not the moment to give up, but the moment to recommit and push harder.
The idea
Treat it like the greatest comeback of all time
Project Everyone partnered with the UN Office for Partnerships to frame the halfway point as Halftime in the greatest match of our lives.
Using the language, energy and drama of sport, the campaign called on everyone, including world leaders, to come together for a Halftime Huddle and make the second half count.
At its heart was a new version of Al Pacino’s famous Any Given Sunday locker-room speech, recut with global news footage and featuring newly recorded lines from Pacino himself.
what happened
The Halftime message went global
The campaign film premiered during UN General Assembly week and was shown at the United Nations, Global Citizen Festival, Reuters Impact Summit and other major events.
Donated advertising spots put the film into the halftime breaks of major sporting events on NBC Sports and Sky Sports, while high-profile supporters including David Beckham, Coldplay, U2, Jennifer Garner and Forest Whitaker helped amplify the message online.
The campaign culminated in the SDG Halftime Show at the SDG Pavilion at UN Headquarters, bringing together global leaders, activists and performers including Mia Mottley, Amina Mohammed, Orlando Bloom, Yo-Yo Ma, Angélique Kidjo and Yemi Alade.
Result
331M
potential campaign reach
2,000+
pieces of media coverage
11
high-profile supporters amplified the campaign
2
major sports broadcasters carried the campaign film
“I’m genuinely optimistic that with the right action and political will, in seven years, we could be looking back at one of the greatest second-half comebacks of all time.”
Richard Curtis
Co-founder, Project Everyone