the project
Rockstars of the Game
the who / the what
Social content for Nike and the MLB
the situation
For the MLB All-Star game, Nike wanted to turn up for their audience in an authentic and entertaining way. To coincide with the launch of the Trout 6 they created special edition colorways inspired by classic album covers. Fitting because the game and accompanying festivities were set to be held in the home of the Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame.
We were asked to create content that was a deviation from the highlight reels and big-play clips smattered across social media. Something that was more personal and behind-the-scenes. There was a unique opportunity to leverage Major League Baseball as a strategic partner and distribute through their channels and outlets.
Obviously, the vast majority of professional athletes are incredibly competitive. This insight was one that we kept coming back to during concept discussions. Having built up a relationship with these athletes during prior photoshoot sessions and seeing how their interest got piqued when hearing about the performance of their counterpart during a similar shoot. We decided to take that spark and sanction a slug-fest of bicoastal proportions. With each athlete challenging the next while they attempt to outdo one another. Additionally, we sat down with these athletes to ask them their best All-Star Game memories and thoughts, while debuting some special footwear that will only be available for them during that game. We made heroes of this footwear heat-check by shooting them on-field and creating roadie case inspired seeding kits to be delivered prior to the game.
In its initial days of posting in the runup to the All-Star Game, our engagement expectations were shattered. The highlights include 97,538 views on MLB Channel YouTube, placing it in the top 20% of their content, along with IGTV achieving its highest view count for the season at 29,600. IG impressions amounted to 350,986, while reaching 276,727 unique accounts. Twitter engagements surpassed expectations with a remarkable 233% above average, accompanied by a 200% increase in Twitter views. The collective impressions across Nike, MLB, and athlete channels soared to an impressive 7,571,086, deeming the project a success and fostering growth amongst Nike Baseball’s young community.
the team
My Role: Art Direction & Design
Created while at Nemo Design
Creative Direction: Jeff Bartel, Matt Graff
Photography: Swanson Studios
Additional still photography: Steve Temple