The constant sneaker squeaks on the court is one of the staples of the basketball experience – just like dunks, dribbles, alley-oops and the tomahawk jam – and yet Ford in Brazil ran a curious stunt to show what the game would be like without them to showcase its own no-skid technology
Ford Brazil, who’s Ecosport crossover SUV sponsofred the entire basketball season broadcasts, worked with agency GTB and broadcasters Fox Sports and ESPN to activate its rights by removing the sound of sneaker squeaks from all five games of August’s Brazilian Basketball League finals.
Working with sound engineers, the in-telecast stunt saw the removal of the sounds of sneaker squeaks for one minute during each quarter of the broadcast.
During those moments an announcer gave a Ford product plug and compared the absence of the squeaks to the Ford Ecosport’s AdvanceTrac electronic stability control technology which helps eliminate car skidding on the streets.
An on screen banner then directed viewers to Ford’s site for more information.
The campaign also included additional promo banners for the tournament bearing basketball-friendly phrases such as ‘Cross-Over Meets Cross-Overs’ and ‘No Squeak, Yes Swish’.
The broadcast stunt was created for Ford Brazil by a team from agency GTB that included Executive Creative Director Vico Benevides, Creative Director Rodrigo Strozenberg, Creative Director Denis Peralta, Copywriters Andre Savastano and Cauique Johnson, Art Directors Leandro Bechara and Thiago Nascimento, RTVs Marina Fridman and Yasmin Mattos, Account Executive Andre Cruz and media specialists Rafael Amorim, Thamyris Bueno and Giorgio Christiano.
The filmmaker was Regis Fernandez, the production company was Dirty Work Factory and audio was handled by Cabaret.
Comment:
As they say in TV, movies and theatre – show not tell.
According to agency GTB Brasil, 1,649,943 people tuned in to watch the no-squeak final.
The absence of sneaker squeaks makes for a slightly strange hoops TV viewing experience and an effective way to get a marketing message across.
Basketball is a key pillar in Ford Brazil’s ongoing marketing mix with recent campaigns including a freestyler pick-up game initiative to promote the new Ecosport model,
Links:
Ford Brazil
https://www.youtube.com/user/fordbrasil
https://www.facebook.com/FordBrasil
https://www.instagram.com/fordbrasil/
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