State Farm - The Last Dance with ESPN
Challenge
The ultimate 90s deepfake As a long-time sponsor of the NBA, State Farm’s ultimate goal is to reaffirm the positive connection that people have with basketball. In collaboration with ESPN and Optimum Sports, the plan was to produce a co-branded commercial due to go out in early March. Then COVID-19 struck. NBA season suspended. Productions cancelled. State Farm, refused to be beaten at the last buzzer, quickly pivoted to adapt to production realities.
Solution
Using facial mapping and voice engineering, the ultimate SportsCenter broadcast was born that blended seamlessly into the 90s nostalgia. During an episode of the most viewed documentary in ESPN history, ‘The Last Dance’, the faked out commercial was premiered in front of a record 15.5 million viewers. The placement of the ad was so integrated into the documentary that fans had to do a double take. The internet went wild; the premiere was a top trending topic on Twitter and #1 Google search trend. The overnight viral success, that the New York Times calling it “a welcome moment of levity in depressing times”, was a historic moment in branded content.
Results
Boosted brand memorability during the biggest basketball documentary in ESPN history, proving more effective than the top 5 advertisers during Super Bowl LIV. - Increase in brand memorability 264% - 57% More effective than top 5 advertisers during Super Bowl - 15.5 m Total viewers - 52+ m Total impressions
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