RFC - "The National Sport of Kazakhstan"

GForce/Grey

GForce/Grey Almaty, Kazakhstan

Awards

126

This ad is part of the ACT Responsible Collection

Brand: RFC
Country: Kazakhstan

Advertiser: Ruh Fighting Championship

Title	The National Sport of Kazakhstan
Agency	GForce/Grey
Campaign	The National Sport of Kazakhstan
Advertiser	Ruh Fighting Championship
Brand	RFC
Date of First Broadcast/Publication	2023 / 10
Product	MMA-promotional company Ruh Fighting Championship
Business Sector	Sports Teams, Sports Events
Story	Kazakhstan has been engulfed by a wave of domestic violence. Most men in our country actually don't care about the problem of domestic violence and prefer don’t speak about it. But the thing they really care and love to talk about is ultimate fighting sports! So, we moved Domestic Violence from the Kitchen to the Professional MMA-Ring…
Philosophy	Insight Most men in Kazakhstan actually don't care about the problem of domestic violence and prefer don’t speak about it. But the thing they really care and love to talk about is ultimate fighting sports! Idea The National Sport of Kazakhstan: Moving Domestic Violence from the Kitchen to the Professional MMA-Ring. We held a large press-conference with the participants of the upcoming fight and launched announcements on RFC pages in social networks. Men in the comments got into arguments with those who saw nothing wrong with a fight. They called for unsubscribing from the RFC pages and creating a petition to cancel the fight, appealed to the government and the President. Bloggers, MMA stars, and mass media spoke out against the fight. On the announced date instead of the fight we launched a shocking broadcast containing real footage of domestic violence happened in different areas of Kazakhstan, showing a claim ‘100 000 fights annually’. After the publication of the video broadcast, the comments changed to positive ones, with gratitude to the RFC for highlighting the problem. All the haters of the battle turned out to be our like-minded people, who support us and became co-authors of the campaign.
Problem	Kazakhstan has been engulfed by a wave of domestic violence. The police received more than 100 000 complaints about domestic violence during 2023 for the 5 million adult male population in Kazakhstan. This is three times more than in the last five years. Previously, this issue of domestic violence was mostly discussed by women. Traditionally, most men in Kazakhstan ignore the problem of domestic violence and prefer don’t speak about it. Men was only 12% of people who signed the petition for criminalizing domestic violence (yes, that wasn't considered a crime before). Ruh Fighting (RFC) is the biggest MMA promotion in Kazakhstan, which organizes and broadcasts online tournaments for ultimate fights. In 2023, the company decided to declare its socially responsible mission: "We aim to develop the sport and influence society, our efforts are aimed at shaping a healthy and cohesive community». In Kazakhstan, sports related to ultimate fights are very popular among men. 90% of the audience at the RFC platform are men. Having a huge active male audience, the RFC felt responsible for their passivity related to domestic violence topic. Ruh Fighting could not stand aside and should make a response on the current major issue in Kazakhstan, and attract attention of the Government and society. Objectives: Attract attention to the domestic violence problem Create a conversation with male audience Change social behavior Increase brand social responsibility
Result	We spoke directly with men only. Changed social behavior. And made them talk. The unwanted "sport" sparked an uproar. Men, who previously didn't care, stood up for what truly matters. 90% of people engaged the campaign - men. Total reach - 3.3 million (among 5 million adult male population of the country). Reactions - 135 390. The ‘fight' live broadcast views - 1 358 216. Total views of video announcements and live broadcast - 4.8 million. 64% of those reached on Instagram were not subscribers to the RFC page. For the first time, conservative men joined in signing petitions for the enactment of the Law on the Criminalization of Domestic Violence. On February 28, 2024, the Law was passed by the Parliament of Kazakhstan.
Media Type	Social Media
Length	120 seconds
General Director	Yuliya Tushina
Executive Creative Director	Yevgeniy Kostylev
Creative Group Head	Renata Muratova
Creative Group Head	Rafael Imamniyazov
Creative Group Head	Victor Yershov
Art Director	Maxim Shilov
Graphic Designer	Aigerim Tursunova
MOTION DESIGN	Alexandr Filatov
Account Director	Anastassiya Ivanova
General Manager	Yuliya Tushina
Executive Creative Director	Yevgeniy Kostylev
Creative Group Head	Renata Muratova
Creative Group Head	Rafael Imamniyazov
Creative Group Head	Victor Yershov
Art-director	Maxim Shilov
Designer	Aigerim Tursunova
Motion Designer	Alexandr Filatov
Account Director	Anastassiya Ivanova