Cannes Lions
DROGA5, New York / JPMORGAN CHASE & CO / 2019
Awards:
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
Chase has long been a sponsor of both the US Open and Serena Williams. But this year was special. Serena was returning the US Open for the first time since having her baby, Olympia.
While there are a lot of brands who do side with moms, they tend to applaud selflessness or survival over genuine self-actualization. But Chase is focused on making the most of what’s yours. And Serena Williams, as a new mother and tennis champion, is the embodiment of this.
Our task was to show Serena’s dual strength as a nurturing mother and a ferocious opponent as proof of Chase’s ongoing support of mothers and all people as they make more of what's theirs.
Idea
Serena Williams returned to tennis in 2018 after having her daughter Olympia amidst media speculation about whether she could make a “comeback.” We wanted to set the record straight: motherhood isn’t something to “come back” from. It’s something to draw strength from.
The film’s unique tone combined the tender touch of a mother’s lullaby with the power and strength of LL Cool J’s iconic 1991 song “Mama Said Knock You Out” as it moved from Serena’s home to the tennis court. It depicted motherhood as a new source of strength. Serena posted the video on her social accounts with the campaign’s hashtag #ThisMama inviting other mothers to share their stories.
Strategy
Approaching the 2018 US Open, Serena Williams’s return meant fans would be watching closely. We knew Serena’s fans on social media were highly engaged, followed her journey through motherhood and supported her in her life on and off the court. But too much of the frenzy ahead of the tournament was focused on whether motherhood had taken something away from her game.
The insight was that this was bigger than just tennis: Serena Williams is evolving into a new kind of champion. That’s why we wanted to show how Serena’s new status as a mother helps her make even more of her next chapter.
We want this moment to inspire all Chase people who feel this way about their lives. And for them to think of Chase whenever they want to start another chapter of their own.
Execution
In order to have the greatest impact on the conversation, we focused our efforts around the time leading up to the 2018 US Open and during the duration of Serena’s time in the competition. The film aired 587 times across 34 cable TV networks.
Just before the TV launch, the work went live on Chase’s owned channels: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. We complemented this with OOH promotions in New York near Madison Square Garden and Times Square.
For continued engagement among mothers and Serena fans, we asked moms on Twitter to share what they’re taking on in their next chapters using the #ThisMama hashtag. Serena herself supported the campaign by posting the video on her social channels and continued to use the #ThisMama hashtag in additional inspirational posts about her career and motherhood.
Outcome
Chase became the #1 most mentioned brand at the U.S. Open on social media. We created 18K organic social conversations.
The film garnered 873 million earned impressions and was covered by The Today Show, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, People magazine and more.
#ThisMama took on a life of its own. Our engagement campaign, a promotion of Serena’s Tweet to drive engagement, saw 187.7K engagements at a rate of 38%.
Mothers shared their unvarnished experiences, showing that motherhood isn’t something to come back from. It’s the next, best chapter of your life so far. It’s exactly the message of support that Chase believes every mom everywhere should hear.