Cannes Lions
MJZ, Los Angeles / BLEACHER REPORT / 2018
Overview
Entries
Credits
Description
We open on a teen throwing away a sports section. It catches fire mid-air - symbolizing
the death of the old guard. He then challenges the viewer on their fandom, asking “You
think you get the game? Of course you do. But you have to get...”
We then follow a “narrative” relay, each narrator testing you with an insider reference –
be it haircuts, race, shoes, celebrations, disses, tributes, and more. From sneaker icon
Benjamin Kickz, to culture legend Allen Iverson, to movie Shameik Moore, to beloved
athletes like Marquette King, this film is a recruitment test.
Execution
The newspaper reads “The Earth May Be Flat”, referencing Irving’s statements. The
barbershop stars a real student suspended for having OBJ’s hairstyle, and Antonio
Brown’s “Lego” cut. The baseball kid does the biggest flip ever, referencing Bautista’s
controversy. Ben Kickz in a car overflowing with shoes boxes (reselling culture). The
moment of silence for icon Craig Sager. The cupcake is Westbrook’s diss of Durant.
Iverson clears up his “Practice” rant 15 years later. Marquette’s dance is how the NFL is
the No Fun League. The “Posse” hoodies are about Phil Jackson’s racially charged
comments about LeBron. Iverson’s famous step-over on T.Lue. The #16 represents
Dee Gordon’s homer for Jose Fernandez. And much more.
Outcome
In 24 hours, the campaign broke B/R’s record for the most traffic with 14.2 million visits from 8 million different people, and received mentions from athletes and influencers (Brandon Jennings, Charles Barkley, Pete Rock, and more). The campaign got a 20% increase in monthly app installs and 200k new active monthly users. Unique for its voice, the athletes featured, the way it depicts culture, and how it was launched, it became the #1 most downloaded app in the sports category. More importantly, it showed that the campaign was doing something our rival sports media companies can’t do: talk to and represent the new and future era of sports fandom. And this is just the first step in its takeover of sports media.
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