Marcel Paris on breaking barriers in women’s football for Orange

But how did this idea come to life? The Drum spoke with Pascal Nessim, co-president of Marcel, for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Orange’s spot.

Taking the idea to Orange

For years, the Marcel Paris had been eager to present Orange with a truly impactful concept. “Traditionally, Orange has been a sponsor of the French Football Federation,” Nessim explains. “We quickly noticed that the Women’s World Cup didn’t generate the same excitement among broadcasters and people as the Men’s World Cup. So, we aimed to create a campaign to challenge the bias that women’s football isn’t as thrilling to watch. We collaborated with Orange to explore the angle, which ultimately led to the idea.”

Fortunately, the client was on board from the very beginning. “Orange’s marketing director, recognized the persuasive potential of this campaign directly,” Nessim recalls.

‘A manual process’

Executing the concept, however, proved to be a significant challenge, especially from a production standpoint. The ad seamlessly substituted clips of male football stars with their female counterparts, which was an intricate visual effects feat.

“It was extremely challenging. Everything was done manually, with no AI involved. It required extensive research on numerous matches, creating a demo reel for the women, and finding the perfect male clips that matched seamlessly,” Nessim reveals.

The goal was to create a flawless transition so that audiences would be completely immersed before realizing the switch. The entire production process required painstaking attention to detail, ensuring that every pass, every goal, and every movement matched perfectly.

Targeting male football fans

The campaign’s core message was clear: Women’s football is just as exciting as men’s, and it deserves the same respect and enthusiasm. “Because without it, people wouldn’t have paid attention. The beauty of this campaign is in its perfect setup. It primarily targets male soccer fans, catching them off guard to try and change their perspective,” Nessim explains.

Of course, executing such a campaign required permission from the footballers involved. “[That said], since Orange is a partner of the FFF and the French national team, we had the rights to both male and female players under contract.”

Once released, the ad quickly went viral. “It’s like winning the World Cup. That’s the magic of the internet today—it lets you know right away if something’s gone viral or not. And when major English-speaking media outlets like The Times picked it up, it really took off globally.”

Answering the skeptics

Not everyone received the campaign without skepticism. Some online commentators suggested that the ad inadvertently reinforced the idea that women’s football still needed validation from the men’s game to be taken seriously. However, Nessim insists that this was part of the strategy.

“We actually took that into account because the goal was to catch this type of audience off guard. We knew that a football trailer featuring stars would pull them in, and after a minute, they realized they’d been fooled.”

By using this approach, the campaign cleverly subverted expectations and forced viewers to confront their own biases.

Global recognition

Beyond its cultural impact, the campaign also earned critical acclaim, becoming the second most awarded ad in this year’s World Creative Rankings.

“As a creative agency, this is exactly what we strive for, and it gave us a real sense of accomplishment. It’s an immense source of pride for an agency of 170 people to launch a campaign that achieved such remarkable success.”