Foundation to Combat Antisemitism – Timeout Against Hate (USA)
Hijacked sports timeouts to unite Americans against antisemitism and hate of all kinds.
Submitted by Mindshare | WPP Media
Winner’s Citation
PLATINUM in the 2025 Marketing Makes a World of Difference Awards.
The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism’s Timeout Against Hate transformed America’s favorite pastime into a rallying cry for unity. By hijacking timeouts across sports and media, the campaign reached 200 million people, drove billions of impressions, and inspired real behavioral change. It proved that cultural rituals can become powerful platforms to stand against hate.
How It Makes a World of Difference
Following the October 2023 attacks in Israel, antisemitism in the U.S. tripled. Yet over half of Americans dismissed hate as “not their problem,” while Gen Z was increasingly shaped by misinformation online. The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism recognized the urgent need to transform indifference into action.
With Timeout Against Hate, the campaign leveraged one of America’s last unifying forces—sports. By literally calling “timeouts” across live broadcasts, streaming, podcasts, stadiums, and synchronized billboards, the initiative reframed antisemitism as part of a larger fight against all forms of hate. The campaign made the issue impossible to ignore, using a familiar cultural ritual to spark a national pause for unity, reflection, and action
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Jury Lens Evaluation
- Promise Becomes Action: A symbolic gesture became a mass movement, showing how cultural rituals can fuel purpose.
- Trust: Endorsements from sports leagues, athletes, and influencers (from Tom Brady to Meek Mill) built credibility across diverse audiences.
- Growth: FCAS gained a 24% lift in being seen as a leader in social justice and a 21% increase in positive sentiment.
- Difference: By turning the language of sports into a universal call for unity, the campaign exemplified marketing that solves, not just sells
Results That Made a Difference
- Reach: 200M Americans (76% of adults) reached through 863M paid impressions and 3B earned impressions.
- Engagement: 1.6M social engagements; FCAS TikTok followers up +500%, Instagram up +250%.
- Behavior Change: Exposed audiences were 33% more likely to intervene in hate incidents and 37% more likely to challenge hate online.
- Amplification: Major shares from NFL, NBA, NASCAR, MLS, NWSL, and leading athletes extended the impact well beyond paid media
