Catalyst is a true partner. They understand my business and bring an unmatched expertise in the sports and entertainment space. They bring a rare blend of strategic counsel and excellent implementation.
”~ Diane Pelkey, Director of Communications, Under Armour
Assignment
Increase engagement with Under Armour’s Facebook community and elevate awareness of the brand’s new association with Tom Brady
Our Solution
Catalyst has long believed that the NFL Draft is an underleveraged activation opportunity for brands, and the agency went “on the clock” to introduce the Under Armour Tom Brady Draft Chat, an interactive and revealing conversation with the reigning MVP.The program kicked off with a Facebook promotion that rewarded 12 fans with the chance to attend the Draft Chat and to participate in an extended Q&A with Brady in New York City on day two of the draft. Because the Draft Chat supported the recent launch of Under Armour’s Charged Cotton apparel line, consumers were asked to visit Under Armour’s Facebook page and to submit photos of themselves “Getting Charged Up” to gain admission to the event. A panel of Under Armour judges, including Founder and CEO Kevin Plank, reviewed the hundreds of submissions and selected the 12 winners.
The entire Draft Chat was streamed live on Ustream (which can be viewed here) and on Under Armour’s Facebook page. Representing the intersection of traditional and digital PR, the Under Armour Tom Brady Draft Chat harnessed social media at every phase of the program, while simultaneously providing a “real-world” application for consumers and media.
The Results
The employment of multiple technologies resonated with digital influencers, culminating in a Mashable.com feature story the day prior to the Draft Chat. The Mashable piece was vigorously retweeted moments after it posted, ultimately resulting in nearly 3 million Twitter impressions. Overall, the total volume of Under Armour social media posts on the event date more than doubled the volume of posts for any other day during the month.Prior to the consumer portion of the Draft Chat, Brady conducted multiple interviews with national sports, business and lifestyle outlets, including USA Today, Entertainment Tonight, Yahoo! and CNBC, ESPN.com, The Boston Globe, and The Boston Herald.