We created the Bryzzo Souvenir Company: a fictional internet business build around two rising stars from the Chicago Cubs, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. The company specializes in selling Bryant and Rizzo’s baseball “souvenirs” – aka the home run balls they clobber into the stands across the league.

We fleshed out the world of Bryzzo as if it were a real company, creating a suite of videos and social content on MLB’s channels. We built subplots and side characters, sold official merchandise, and empowered fans to expand on the the story. Together, we turned Bryzzo into a bonafide cultural institution.

Ultimately, we broke through to a tired fanbase and helped cement Bryzzo as the faces of the game, both on the field and on social media.

In addition to a TV spot, our content was released throughout the season on MLB’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages, accompanied by a suite of GIFs for users to repackage and post. All #Bryzzo content was also housed on an MLB.com Bryzzo hub, and an ecommerce page on MLBShop.com sold official Bryzzo gear for fans to purchase (and ultimately, rip off).

Bryzzo content generated 71MM impressions, 400K likes and 100K shares on Facebook, as well as 28MM impressions on Twitter.

Across social media, there were over 80K mentions of Bryzzo.

We sold over $50K in official Bryzzo merchandise on MLB.com, not to mention countless user-created Bryzzo apparel on sites like Etsy and Ebay.

The campaign was picked up by media outlets across the country, including ESPN, Rolling Stone, and the Associated Press.

We got a new song from rock legend Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) and a televised mention from President Obama at the White House.

And most importantly, through fan collaboration, we turned two players into cultural icons in the sport of baseball.