When logistics speaks the language of people: DHL's pitch for a village.
DHL treated a missing football pitch as a logistics problem in northern Thailand. The author explains why that works.
By Balaconah · Sep 12, 2026
Logistics firms rarely make the case for football pitches. DHL did. An essay in Balaconah's institutional communication section looks at a campaign in a remote, mountainous part of northern Thailand, where more than 11,000 people, many of them young football fans, had no usable pitch and were hard to reach.
A delivery problem, not an ad
Instead of a conventional campaign, DHL treated the pitch as a logistics challenge and used its own skills to build one to a professional standard. The campaign film opens on isolation and children kicking a worn ball over dangerous dirt.
Why the author thinks it works
The author argues that work built on a company's core strength lasts longer than a one-off donation. DHL positions itself as the enabler that clears the obstacles, while the community leads.
A partnership with Manchester United adds weight. The essay cites a figure that 85% of residents support the club. In the author's reading, the campaign turns DHL's slogan, "connecting people and improving their lives," into something people can point to.
Source: Balaconah, "حين تتحدث اللوجستيات بلغة الإنسان" by Hanan Alshehri. Read the original.