At Translation, we strive to make the invisible impossible to ignore. So when WhatsApp approached us with an opportunity to use the story of NBA Superstar Giannis Anteokounmpo to speak to a global audience that is often overlooked..we jumped at the chance.

Our target audience were Culture Crossovers. Culture Crossovers are reflective not only of WhatsApp’s core user base, but also of a growing audience segment inclusive of a generation more blended than ever before. They represent about 25% of the global population and 37% of the US population, and can best be defined as culturally fluid individuals who draw inspiration from their multiple cultural identities.Our goal was to leverage Giannis’s background to tell a compelling brand story and authentically connect with this audience. Fortunately, Giannis had a natural connection to WhatsApp – it helped him stay connected to his family when he moved to the US. But most importantly, his story illuminated a natural tension that was not only true to Giannis’s story but was one that many people from cross-cultural backgrounds could relate to. Many people who come from cross-cultural backgrounds feel like they need to choose between their cultural identities.

Giannis’ identity was chosen for him when the world named him “The Greek Freak,” so we wanted to use the tension that Giannis felt about having to choose his cross-cultural identity into a partnership story that many people from cross-cultural backgrounds could authentically relate to. The partnership started with the +234 hoodie that premiered at NBA All-Star Weekend. The hoodie was a collaboration with Nigerian-American designers, artisans, and tailors – all connected via WhatsApp. It was not only a play on Giannis’ jersey number, 34, but paid homage to +234, Nigeria’s international calling code. The back of the hoodie featured Giannis’ Yoruba family name, Adetokunbo.

Then we launched the film Naija Odyssey – a Nigerian twist on the Greek classic. In the film Giannis explores both his Greek/Nigerian roots ultimately concluding he doesn’t want to choose between cultures and is proud to be both. In the end, this partnership resulted in WhatsApp’s very first piece of original content which was streamed in 52+ countries, covered by 60+ global media outlets, and earned $17M in media value. The film inspired thousands of people to share over 70k posts, with social conversations increasing by 56x more than the same time a year ago, and WhatsApp gaining over 49,00 followers after the film was released.

The partnership also lifted brand favorability by 6.6% and helped increase consideration amongst young adults by 22% – with 25% lift of young adults feeling WhatsApp helps them stay connected to their culture, and 23% lift feeling WhatsApp brings them closer to friends and family.Ultimately, this body of work helped us rise up, reach back and embrace this dynamic global audience while creating a rallying cry that made them feel seen, heard, and inspired to share their own cross-cultural stories.