Change your name to change the game against bullying.
Soccer may be tough. Schoolyards are tougher. Kids bullying is not a new phenomenon. But social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter made it worse. Children are segregated, labeled and named. How can the German Children´s Fund “Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk e.V.” raise awareness for kids bullying and empower the children at the same time?

IDEA Before fans called their names, they’ve been called names. At the Hero Cup in Hamburg former soccer stars suprised the fans in the stadium: They changed their jersey names to the nasty nicknames of their childhood. The players also changed the names of their social media profiles and made the #namechanger a trending topic.

SOLUTION No bullies can stop us. The match was broadcast live on German television and attracted a huge media interest. It was featured in Germany’s biggest newspaper and on popular TV channels, Blogs etc. The campaign reached over 10 million people in total. The football heroes sent an empowering message to all kids: "We’ve beaten the bullies and so can you!“.