Challenge
the Oklahoma City Thunder is one of the most successful teams in the NBA and have some of the most noted players within basketball on their roster. the organization is progressive, fresh-thinking and not afraid to challenge the traditional marketing approaches to sport.
Solution
as their branding agency we are helping take The Thunder from ‘another NBA sports team’ to a ‘lifestyle brand’ that makes a lasting impression on culture and community forging more powerful connections globally as well as locally. to build on OKC’s regular season momentum and sustain brand engagement we developed a campaign that leveraged the off-season with a three-part series featuring the three premiere players – Paul George, Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams – that broke with the conventions of sports marketing. elevated consumer connection to players by showcasing them off the court ensuring audiences have a holistic view of them as individuals who are pushing sport and culture forward. each player had a unique lifestyle experience developed specially for them based on their personal passions and interests. the events would be a celebration of the player, an expression of their impact as sports stars and an opportunity for fans (and media) to see them off the court as cultural icons: Paul George – as investor in and lover of E-Sports we created his own branded gaming experience LVL-UP13 featured at DreamHack. Russell Westbrook – for this lifestyle fashion icon we hosted the Hype House party featuring Naz and conceptual artist Chantell Martin. Steven Adams – as an avid reader of comic books we developed his own larger than life character, The Kiwi Legend, which debuted at ComicCon San Diego.
Results
the result was massive social media buzz, countless articles and global press coverage plus huge fan engagement recognizing the Thunder as a tapped-in team that goes beyond the obvious sports paradigms and connects at a contemporary cultural level
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