‘Signs Of Support’, a new campaign from American Family Insurance fronted by two megastar athlete ambassadors Kevin Durant and JJ Watts, reverses the usual idea of fan support by turning the sports stars into supporters of individual fans.
The late September campaign is based on the fact that millions of people support the dreams of JJ Watt and Kevin Durant, so the sports stars are ‘paying it forward’ by themselves turning up to support their fans.
Adopting a surprise appearance, stunt-style approach, the two superstars – Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA all-star Durant and Houston Texans’ NFL all-pro JJ Watt – surprise everyday fans in the midst of working towards their own personal goals.
These stunt appearances are then amplified by a set of TV spots and a central film pulling all the stunts together.
The initiative is also amplified on social and digital platforms:
.@KDTrey5 & @JJWatt cheer on their fans in their everyday lives
WATCH: http://t.co/s3dy7hnZlI #AllBall pic.twitter.com/MHnR3gmruH
— NBA.com (@NBAcom) September 23, 2015
Watch @JJWatt and @KDTrey5 pay it forward by supporting fellow dreamers. #DreamFearlessly http://t.co/mCJsRzALEW
https://t.co/8L7wJe4bwo
— American Family (@amfam) September 25, 2015
even with birthday wishes from brand to ambassador,
Happy Birthday to Dream Champion and MVP, @KDTrey5 #DreamFearlessly http://t.co/3AUcN9LbHi pic.twitter.com/FdwlNIDPcZ
— American Family (@amfam) September 29, 2015
and some mainstream media partner social support.
ICYMI: Watch what happens when @JJWatt and @KDTrey5 cheer on their own fans. http://t.co/ur3QqRWyqg pic.twitter.com/OEUP5URw1H
— ESPN (@espn) September 22, 2015
The campaign has been developed in tandem with agency BBDO New York and it is based on the company’s mission statement: ‘We believe that a dream is the most important thing anyone can ever own.’
Comment
The in-person, athlete ambassador stunt surprise seems to be all the rage in contemporary sports endorser and sponsor marketing.
Indeed, another great late September example off the tactic in North America is the current Horton’s ‘Superstar Drive Thru’ campaign in Canada (see case study).
But while the idea of turning the tables on fans is admirable, and the reversal of convention clever, we feel that the creative executions doesn’t quite live up to the conceptual promise.
This sports star endorser initiative builds upon a range of sports sponsorship activation from American Family Insurance that leverages its commercial partnerships with leagues like the NBA and the NFL, plus teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks (of the NBA) and the Green Bay Packers (off the NFL) , as well as with a set of individual ambassador deals.
Links
American Family Insurance Campaign Hub:
American Family Insurance YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/amfam
American Family Insurance Website:
https://www.dreamfearlessly.com/?sourceid=yt0107c&rd=dreams
American Family Insurance Twitter:
American Family Insurance Google+:
https://plus.google.com/+amfam
American Family Insurance Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/amfaminsurance/
BBDO New York
