For an NBA player, you know you’ve officially made it when you finally star in your own Foot Locker commercial. But you can’t get your own commercial until you’re an NBA player, and you’re not technically an NBA player until the moment your name gets called during the annual NBA Draft.

The creative executions we paired with our “Before/After” media strategy revolved around the idea that a Foot Locker is one of the first tangible signs a player has “made it” as a pro. In the first spot, aired immediately before the first pick was announced, Ben technically wasn’t a pro yet. And non-pros don’t get Foot Locker commercials. So we aired a “homemade” version featuring a DIY aesthetic and a papier mache co-star: last year’s Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns.

Immediately after the airing of the first spot, Ben went #1 and got his “real” Foot Locker commercial featuring a reality check from some of last year’s top rookies.

The spots aired live for the first time during the draft broadcast, and also utilized an early online rollout to build hype on YouTube and social media.

In addition to being the most talked about commercial of Draft Night, the campaign also shot into the viral stratosphere. In the days following the draft it was discussed in countless mainstream sports columns, reported in urban lifestyle publications, debated on ESPN, and trended on Twitter. The client objective for the campaign was a 100% increase in total impressions YOY compared to 2015. The actual total increase came out to 475%, much of which was driven by earned media (which accounted for 80% of total campaign impressions).