The start of NFL Training Camp was quickly approaching and all eyes were on Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown. The 27-year old had quickly ascended the ranks of NFL players to watch. But despite his outstanding accomplishments on the field, Antonio was so poorly compensated that many debated if he would show up at camp or decide to “hold out” for a better contract.

Following persistent outreach and strategic conversations with Antonio’s marketing agent, we learned that Antonio had every intention to be at training camp on Day 1. This became our big news opportunity, but we still needed a simple and executable idea. We decided to wrap a $500,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom in Pittsburgh Steelers colors, further personalizing it with Antonio’s autograph on the door panel. We presented it to Antonio as a way to arrive at opening day of training camp in style. It ultimately became THE story.

With only one week and $5,000 we worked with various vendors to wrap the car, offering social posts from Antonio in exchange for cash. We then gave the installer 24 hours to wrap one of the world’s most expensive and sizable automobiles. Then we pulled a favor with a media friendly photographer who shot images of the ride for $500 and photo credit. Once the images were done, we coordinated transport to get Antonio the car two states away.

We had one week to transform the car and highjack the conversation around NFL Training Camp, positioning Rolls-Royce as the ultimate fashion statement.

We identified which media were covering Antonio’s potential hold out and selected five national outlets – ESPN, CBS Sports, USA Today, NFL Network and the AP – to spread the news. We tied the embargo to coincide with Antonio’s arrival at camp and personal social posts.

Tier1: Rolls-Royce made headlines in more than 150 media articles (355M+ impressions; publicity value $6M), in addition to 71 broadcast segments, mention in the lead paragraph of an Associated Press story, multiple segments on ESPN, and articles on every major sports website. The Steelers also posted a 10-photo slideshow on their website.

Tier2: Fox Sports proclaimed that “athletes across the nation will be calling up Rolls-Royce looking for their own ride.” Other headlines referred to the car as “the sickest whip I’ve ever seen” (Jim Rome), “insanely cool” (CBS Sports), “absolutely perfect” (NFL.com), “pretty amazing” (Yahoo!), and “awesome, sick, insane ridiculous, and yes, even spectacular” (Sporting News).

Tier3: The car quickly became a trending topic on Facebook, ESPN’s social posts generated thousands of retweets, posts from influencers including EA Sports, Snoop Dogg, and Monster Energy generated hundreds-of-thousands of likes and favorites, and Antonio himself posted nearly 20 times.

The campaign represented the power of public relations to create immense discussion and energy around a brand or product by making it a natural part of a big, unfolding news story in a real and relevant way.

We targeted ALL top-tier media to cover the story.

The formula required three key components:

The right partner. Not only was Antonio Brown the NFL’s standout wide receiver and current Rolls-Royce owner, but he represented youth and style. Best of all, he was in the media spotlight. The entire sports world awaited his decision whether or not to attend training camp.

The right moment. Become a natural part of a big, unfolding news moment in a relevant and positive way that reflects youth, energy and confidence.

The right execution. Working with Antonio and top media and influencers, share the Rolls-Royce story through myriad of social media and news outlets offering 18-to-34-year-old contemporary males a chance to see and share the experience through one of their favorite sports figures.

Situation:

Shift the perception of Roll-Royce from a vintage luxury toy for stodgy old men to the ultimate fashion statement among young, accomplished men with style.

Brief:

Thrust Rolls-Royce to the forefront of news and social media discussion with one clever maneuver that costs less than $5,000 and positions the brand as youthful, relevant and vibrant.

Objective:

Make Rolls-Royce part of the consideration set for youthful, affluent consumers in a way that is grounded yet grand, and aspirational yet approachable.