American Activation Case Studies

American Football
Beer

In April 2020, the Minnesota Vikings and official beer partner Miller Lite responded to the pandemic by pivoting from a physical to a virtual livestream Draft Party.
Basketball
Clothing Retail

In July 2020, Foot Locker’s House of Hoops sub-brand debuted a short form video to welcome back the NBA and build affinity with hoops fans.
Baseball
Banking

Mid-pandemic, in July 2020, Bank of America shifted its MLB activation from awareness to focus on a social good campaign supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
Ice Hockey
Automobile Manufacturing

In 2020, Hyundai Canada introduced a fresh strand in its ongoing ‘Made for Those Who Drive Hockey’ platform when it teamed up with special needs ice hockey club Ottawa Bandits to connect with Canadian families on a more emotional level.
Multi-Sport

In February 2021, Toyota USA leveraged its Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic rights through a Super Bowl LV campaign starring 13-time Paralympic medallist Jessica Long.
Multi-Sport
Department Stores

When the Tokyo Olympics were postponed in March 2020, COC retail and apparel partner Hudson’s Bay Company pivoted its 2020 Olympic Collection activation into an integrated ‘Canada Day Games’ campaign.
Basketball
Car Dealership

Mid-2021, Women’s National Basketball Association sponsor CarMax ran a series of ads marking the league’s 25th anniversary – featuring basketball star Sue Bird – that went viral and drove attention around the issue of gender bias in sports.
Football
Beer

For the summer 2020 resumption of MLS, Heineken trailed its 0.0 no-alcohol beer by offering US soccer fans a ‘Stadium in a Box’ giveaway on Twitter.
Ice Hockey
Banking

In May 2020, Canadian broadcasters Sportsnet and TVA Sports aired ‘Hockey 24’, a branded documentary by Canadian bank and ice hockey sponsor Scotiabank that continued the trend toward brand-funded features.
American Football
Telecoms

In February 2021, the NFL restricted the live stadium attendance for the Super Bowl, so Verizon sought to keep fans connected via a 5G experience mash-up inside the Fortnite battle royale game.
Basketball
Beer

Through the NBA’s delayed 2020 ‘bubble’ season, AB InBev brand Michelob Ultra teamed up with Microsoft to create an AI-driven virtual courtside fan experience.
American Football
Tech Conglomerates

Running through the 2019-20 season and culminating around Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Microsoft’s multi-channel, 360-degree campaign aimed to show how the Surface tablet helps people be anything but ordinary.
Basketball
Beer

In April 2020, the Bulls teamed up with long-time partner Budweiser for an online branded content series featuring former players talking about the team’s title winning 1990s years.
Banking

Leveraging the team’s 2019 new jersey launch, BMO – primary sponsor of the MLS club then known as Montreal Impact – exchanged fans’ old jerseys for new ones and transformed the second-hand ones into nets for youth soccer programs in Quebec.
Basketball
Hospitals & Healthcare Providers

In May 2020, healthcare provider Kaiser Permanente leveraged Warriors’ star Klay Thompson’s treatment and rehabilitation after an ACL tear into a documentary about health expertise and personal resilience.
American Football
Soft Drinks

In September 2020, Pepsi activated its NFL partnership with a team-focused strand of its league-wide ‘Made for Watching Football’ activation that offered Steelers fans alternative engagement opportunities at a time of limited access to Heinz Field.
Motorsport
Beer

In February 2020, beer brand Busch leveraged its sponsorship of Kevin Harvick’s No 4 Stewart-Haas Racing car at the Daytona 500 through a real-time Twitter sweepstakes.
American Football
Video Games

In October 2020, the NFL cancelled the 2021 Pro Bowl under the pressures of the pandemic. Instead, long-time NFL gaming partner EA Sports transformed the Pro Bowl into a star-studded real-time gaming event.
Ice Hockey
Beer

Running through the 2019-20 NHL hockey season, Budweiser promoted its new status as the official NHL beer in Canada through a campaign to recruit a passionate fan as its ‘Chief Hockey Officer’.
Baseball
Hotels & Resorts

To target young families taking their kids to travel baseball tournaments, Days Inn fully-funded a little league team for less well-off children over the 2020 season, and covered it in documentary style worthy of a pro team.
Tennis
Tech Conglomerates

After the pandemic forced the 2020 US Open to take place behind closed doors, USTA partner IBM conceived, created and executed a consumer and business-to-business virtual tournament experience in just three months.
Basketball
Beer

In Q1 2020, UT beer partner Corona leveraged its rights around the Texas Longhorns basketball team with a programme led by a pair of limited edition co-branded sneakers.
Football
Household Appliances

With fans stuck at home during Covid-19 lockdowns of 2020, Midea ran a three-month social media engagement campaign that saw Man City players and legends encourage fans to take part in a series of at-home skills challenges.
Football
Tourism Authority

As Covid-19 struck the UK, West Ham and its Official Destination Partner created a branded virtual activation that brought contest winners and club legends together to watch home Premier League matches.
Mass Participation
Consultancy

The 2019 TCS New York City marathon official app became the races’ most downloaded ever by offering features including a set of augmented reality experiences, unlimited real-time runner tracking, an interactive course guide, digital cheer cards and a finishing-time predictor.
Tennis
Banking

JP Morgan Chase pivoted to digital for its 2020 US Open activation programme, which ran between August and September 2020 and spanned an online hub, a card members’ digital lounge, invite-only interviews and Q&A, a daily livestream show, a social sweepstake, a virtual concert and even a cooking series.
Basketball
Sporting Apparel

Amid the 2019-20 NBA/WNBA season, the ‘Nike Game Growers’ initiative saw the sportswear giant work with the league to close the basketball participation gap for girls.
Basketball
Sports & Entertainment Venues

Between 2018 and 2020, Walt Disney World activated its Orlando Magic jersey patch partnership through a free jersey promotion aimed at boosting sales of Disney Park Passes among the fan base.
American Football
Personal Care & Fragrances

In 2017, NFL official beauty partner CoverGirl created first all-female pre-game show to tackle sports media stereotypes and speak directly to the 69 million female American Football fans.
American Football
Headphones & Audio

On February 29th, 2020, Bose teamed up with NFL franchise the Green Bay Packers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers to offer 29 fans to attempt their own version of the famous ‘Lambeau Leap’ celebration.