Buffalo Wild Wings, which was forced to axe its March Madness campaign and activation (arguably its biggest annual sports marketing initiative) due to the coronavirus pandemic has released a consumer-created commercial called ‘Sports Live’.
The hero video celebrates people around the world showing off their sports skills while staying home.
The initiative was conceived and created by The Martin Agency who moved from ideas to release in just a few days.
The agency team, led by Art Director Dustin Dodd and Copywriter Graham Unterberger, edited together a series of Instagrammer home skills clips: from a woman juggling a roll of toilet paper with her feet, to trick hoops baskets and unique ways to play hockey.
The 30-second video launched on 23 March and ends with the copline: “Even when sports aren’t on, sport lives on.”
The video spans Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube with a very small budget.
“We’re a brand that connects people over their shared love of sports,” Buffalo Wild Wings Chief Marketing Officer Seth Freeman.
“And even though sports aren’t on TV, they’re still playing out in living rooms across the globe. So it was only fitting that we acknowledge them. And in doing so, hopefully make fans feel a little more connected.”
“People are taking a pretty scary situation, an isolated situation and they’re creating new ways to keep their passion for sports alive,” said Martin Agency’s Grahan Unterberger.
“Everyone’s sort of scrambling, trying to figure out what to do. We couldn’t just wait until sports are back,” says added Mike Kelley, VP and group planning director at the Martin Agency.
All of the work was done by The Martin Agency remotely, while editing was handled by Ben Suenaga of New York-based Friendshop.
Comment:
With so few sports event to market around, with ad shoots on hold and agencies and their clients working from home, this is a smart way to stay supportive with and aligned to sport and to maintain customer engagement.
We also like the minimal brand promotion. In unsettled, stressful times people don’t want to feel they are being over-sold to or exploited.
Links:
Buffalo Wild Wings
https://www.buffalowildwings.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/buffalowildwings
https://www.instagram.com/bwwings/
https://www.facebook.com/BuffaloWildWings/
The Martin Agency
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