CASE STUDY: Kraft's Tiger Biskuat makes dreams come true in rural Indonesia

Background

Inspired by the success of the inaugural ‘Champions Academy’ in 2009, when a young boy with mature footballing skills was spotted by AS Roma, Biskuat of Kraft Foods Indonesia initiated an ambitious campaign titled 'The Dream Team of Biskuat Macan Indonesia'.

Trials commenced on 28 May 2010, and were held in five major Indonesia cities including Makassar, Surabaya, Medan, Bandung and Jakarta. The audition and camp training used the scouting module from Arsenal Soccer School as well as the standard of talent scouting authorised by Sport & Youth Ministry Department of Indonesia. 

The trials gave children the chance to demonstrate their soccer skills. 7,500 participants were narrowed down to 20 children, who embarked on intensive training at Biskuat Training Camp in Jakarta, under the expert eye of the programme’s ambassador, Indonesian soccer star Bambang Pamungkas, and professional coaches such as Dale Mulholland – formerly a player with the USA National Team; Fandi Ahmad aka the “Asian Tiger”– former striker with the Singapore National Team; and OJ. Onana – formerly on the National Team of Cameroon, who played in the World Cup ’90.

Aim

Tiger Biskuat’s Dream Team aims to have a positive social impact, especially in rural Indonesian communities where children don’t necessarily get the opportunity to utilise nascent sporting talents, it also provides an international platform for young sport stars.  Together with Saatchi Connect and Arsenal Soccer School Indonesia, Biskuat uncovers and nurtures fledgling sporting capabilities. 

Execution

The challenge to Saatchi & Saatchi Indonesia’s ECD Juhi Kalia was to bring to life the ethos of Indonesia’s favourite energy biscuit ‘Everyone can be a champion’. In response to the brief, Saatchi & Saatchi created a campaign that was interactive, and utilised digital and traditional marketing methods, with children creating web movies and blogs about their experience of the ‘Champions Academy’.

Shortlisted for a Promo & Activation Lion at Cannes, ‘Champion’s Academy’ can be proud of its success in uncovering the nation’s hidden sporting talent. Children were invited to country-wide trials, and out of 16,032 applicants, 50 were selected for a rigorous training programme run by Indonesia’s top sporting personalities.

The most inspiring story to arise from the trials, is of a young boy named Alfath, who auditioned in Surabaya, making it to the final round but not qualifying for the nation-wide camp training. Refusing to give up on his dream of representing his country at the Arsenal Soccer Festival, Alfath took a 14-hour train ride from Surabaya to the Jakarta trials, embarking on the journey alone since his father is unable to walk, and could only afford to give him a small amount of money for the trip.

His determination paid off, and he will represent Indonesia at the Soccer Festival. Steven Tan, president director of PT. Kraft Foods Indonesia said, “Kraft Foods Indonesia sees the great potential of Indonesian children in the soccer field. We fully realise the importance of shaping their potential at the earliest stage, and to help them reach their dreams of becoming a champion in the future.”

Result

The final selection stage involved choosing 15 of the shortlisted 20 children, to represent Indonesia at the 20th International Arsenal Soccer Festival, from 31 July to 8 August, at Royal Holloway University in the UK. They will have the opportunity to compete against teams from all over the world, including USA, Europe, South African and India, giving them a gateway to international exposure.