It’s 2020 and New York City is in the midst of a crisis. People are fleeing and hundreds of businesses are closing. The city needed a hero. The New York Knicks hadn’t made the Playoffs in almost a decade. But in 2020, we found a purpose for the team even greater than winning games — saving the city. We repurposed a season of advertising to uplitf every day New Yorkrers and give them their spark. The superstars of our work weren’t highly paid basketball players, they were every day, hard working New Yorkers. We supported them, and they returned the favour, supporting The Knicks like never before.

We repurposed a season of content to do just that. Our season launch film didn't feature superstars from the court, it featured everyday heroes from the streets defying the critics and proudly stating "New York ain't dead!". We supported struggling businesses with the Rookie’s Guide to New York — a fan-powered online platform that connected Knicks fans with struggling small businesses that needed help, keeping them afloat. When the Knicks amazingly made the Playoffs, we united fans, players and celebrities alike under the banner “WE HERE" — two words that became the city's mantra, embraced by fans, players and celebrities alike. Our films helped bring the Knicks back to life, and in turn, reignited the city when the world needed NYC most. Planting a flag, as an eternal reminder, that New York is Forever.

Ahead of the 2020 NBA season, the Knicks faced the scrutiny of critics, the league, and even some of their fans. It was another year that the Knicks were predicted to be in the lowest ranks of the league and their public perception was seemingly dispirited across the board. That all changed this season. We started by partnering with one of the city’s largest voices, New York Nico, who connected us directly to the inner circle of real New York City cultural tastemakers. This approach helped galvanize our fan base, and assisted us in bringing back the city with its people, amid the city’s darkest times. Within one season, the negativity plaguing the franchise dissipated and transformed into some of the most positive sentiment received by the Knicks in the last decade.

At the start of the NBA season, instead of promoting our new team, we promoted the grit and grind on New Yorkers. Our season launch film didn't feature superstar influencers from the court, it featured everyday influencers from the streets recruited by @NewYorkNico, who defied critics and proudly stated "New York ain't dead!". We plastered our work all over social and the streets of NY with OOH in neighborhoods hardest hit by the pandemic. We supported struggling businesses with the Rookie’s Guide to New York — a fan-powered social platform that connected Knicks fans with businesses, keeping them afloat. When the Knicks amazingly made the Playoffs, we united fans, players and celebrities alike under the social campaign “WE HERE”.

Our work made it clear that even after the worst year in NYC history, both the team and the city they call home, weren't going anywhere — galvanizing our community and fan base once again. Celebrity fans like Ben Stiller and Spike Lee got involved and embraced our tagline ‘New York Forever’, sharing it on their social unprompted. Sold out every Playoff game the Knicks played. Not bad for a team the critics and the league had written off for years. In one year we turned around the perception and spirit of a city. We drove 51.3M+ new Social Engagements, garnered over 157.8M Social Video Views, gained over 568K new followers on our social channels, and sold out MSG every night of the Playoffs generating $12.9M in revenue. We resparked the legacy of a team and replanted a flag, as an eternal reminder, that New York is Forever.