Allen Iverson Pitches Bleacher Report as Sports Culture, Not Just Scores in First National Spot
B/R urges fans to ‘Up Your Game’
Earlier this year, Bleacher Report turned to creative agency of record Johannes Leonardo in an effort to take that message to the masses with its first national ad campaign. The site describes its anthem spot “Up Your Game” as “a direct challenge to one-dimensional fandom,” re-emphasizing that culture is the key to reaching young devotees who want more than just the scores.
Allen Iverson and other stars help make that point in an ad overflowing with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it Easter eggs.
“We peppered in lots of different references,” said Johannes Leonardo associate creative director Omid Amidi, who calls the opening scene’s burning newspaper a reference to “dying media coverage of sports.” The headline on that paper reads “Maybe the Earth Is Flat After All,” poking light fun at Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving’s recent statements on that and other alleged conspiracy theories.
One of the first characters to appear in the spot is Jaylon Sewell, a high school student who was recently suspended for wearing a “distracting” hairstyle inspired by that of New York Giants star Odell Beckham, Jr.
And the eggs keep coming: Most basketball fans will know that “cupcake” alludes to a highly publicized beef between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who referenced a former Thunder teammate’s use of the word to describe players he thought were “acting a little soft.” And the Iverson press conference scene recreates the star’s highly spoofed “rant” at the end of the 2001-2002 season.
“Sports fandom these days is a much broader thing in the sense that kids are so aware of these guys—they follow their heroes online and know what they wear, what they listen to and what they did last night,” said Johannes Leonardo co-founder Jan Jacobs in explaining the key insight behind the campaign. Amidi added, “[Bleacher Report] is not only sports coverage; it’s coverage of everything around sports.”
The campaign accompanies a site redesign and new logo created by Bleacher Report’s in-house marketing team, which will collaborate with Johannes Leonardo moving forward.
“A lot of us grew up in a generation where [Allen Iverson] mattered so much,” said Finocchio in explaining why the former star made an ideal brand advocate. “It’s fitting that he could represent an important part of what sports culture can be and what it can mean to people.”
Finocchio said that the campaign is primarily a celebration of his company’s success over the past decade, adding that Bleacher Report no longer sees “traditional sports media brands” as its chief competitors. Regarding the decision to go with Johannes Leonardo, he explained, “They just really got us … we’re here to push culture forward.”
While the specifics of future campaigns have yet to be determined, Finocchio hinted that they will focus on individual sports cultures, calling today’s launch “the beginning of a sustained marketing effort.”
CREDITS
Client: Bleacher Report
Agency: Johannes Leonardo
Campaign: “Up Your Game”
Bleacher Report
VP, Marketing: Lisel Welden
Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing: Will Leivenberg
Sr. Manager, Partnerships: Max Rausch
Sr. Director of Business Development: Michelene Loomer
President: Rory Brown
VP of Programming: Bennett Spector
Creative Director: Ryan Smith
Sr. Director, Branded Content: Beckley Mason
Head of B/R Entertainment: Neil Punsalan
Johannes Leonardo
President: Bryan Yasko
Founders & CCOs: Jan Jacobs & Leo Premutico
Creative Director: Mike Blanch
Associate Creative Director: Omid Amidi
Sr. Copywriter: Maclean Jackson
Sr. Art Director: Micaela Gallino
Sr. Designer: April Pascua
Head of Integrated Production: Dana May
Sr. Integrated Producer: Shami LaCourt
Director of Business Affairs: Marta Stajek
Head of Account Management: Emily Wilcox
Account Supervisor: Adam Rubin
Head of Strategy: Mark Aronson
Strategist: Ben Breier
Celebrity stars: Shameik Moore, Allen Iverson, Marquette King, Benjamin Kickz
Production company: MJZ Films
Director: Fredrik Bond
Director of Photography: Ryley Brown
Executive Producer: Kate Leahy
Producer: Line Postmry
Producer: Shelley Urick-Scillone
Production Supervisor: Beth Schiffman
Editorial: Whitehouse Post
Editor (Lead): Patric Ryan
Assistant Editor: Brad Dupuie
Assistant Editor: Clay Doggett
Executive Producer: Caitlin Grady
Senior Producer: Marcia Wigley
Visual effects: The Mill
VFX Supervisor, 2D Lead: Martin Karlsson
2D Compositors: Becky Porter, Kelsey Napier, Dag Ivarsoy, Daniel Thuresson, Alex Candlish, Tara DeMarco, Matthew Dobrez, Anne Trotman
3D Lead Artist: David Lawson, Tom Graham
3D Artists: Phil Mayer, Chris Goodrich, Daniel Stern, Chase Webb, Matt Longwell, Freddy Parra, Steven Olson, Michael Lori
Motion Graphics: Laura Nash
Executive Producer: Leighton Greer
Producers: Alex Bader, Sumer Zuberi
Production Coordinator: Jalisa House
Shoot Supervisors: Martin Karlsson, David Lawson
Colorist: Adam Scott
Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Producer: Diane Valera
Production Coordinator: Robert Cohen
Original music and sound design: Q Department
Executive Producer: Zack Rice
Producer – Guin Frehling
Sound mix: Sonic Union
Sound Engineer: Steve Rosen
Executive Producer: Justine Cortale
Producer: Patrick Sullivan
Production and post-production
Videographer (Los Angeles): Jake Uris
Videographer (Charlotte): Julian Bernstein
Photographer (Los Angeles): Jake Michaels
Photographer (Charlotte): Craig LaCourt
Special thanks: Turner
Media Director: Katie Morrow
Digital Cross Promotions Manager: Jori Palmer
Sr. Counsel: Matt Cash
Sr. Counsel: Kevin Glidewell
Corporate Legal Manager: Gail Oja
CMO: Val Immele
Read the original article HERE.