FRANCE TELECOM | CUSTOMS | 1999
Customs officers shouted "Goal!" into the phone / FRANCE TELECOM "CUSTOMS"
An ad made by France Telecom ahead of the 1998 World Cup. Set at a border customs checkpoint, it follows officers smuggling a soccer ball, with a "Goal!" ringing out over the phone. Football gets people talking.
The idea
At a hot border checkpoint, a customs officer passes a soccer ball to a young woman. Posing as a pregnant woman, she gets into a young man's car and tries to cross the border. On the other side, a customs officer watches with a tense expression as the luggage is inspected, and the car passes through the checkpoint. The first officer shouts "Goal!" into the phone.
What happened
Won Gold at the 1999 Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
It gets across the tagline "Football gets people talking" about as vividly as it could be done. Behind the serious job of being a customs officer, there's a playful spirit of playing soccer across a border. The phone is what makes that little conspiracy work. I couldn't find much detail about the background or the thinking behind the production, but the humor that comes through in the footage, combined with the excitement of the World Cup, makes it fun to watch all on its own.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 1999
