Brief Explanation

Our challenge: Socialize this once-in-a-lifetime experience of a few, and capture the interest of as many basketball fans as we could. A big challenge. Objective: Increase the NHKYBL sponsorship initiative’s reach and engagement rates from 2012, and ensure the experience was mobile-driven.

The Brief

Nike and Hong Kong basketball are dedicated to promoting the sport of basketball and raising the level of the game in Hong Kong. Nike Hong Kong Youth Basketball League (NHKYBL) is acknowledged as the city’s most unique platform in developing local basketball talent. Turning Pro is a dream-come-true for many Basketball fans, but NHKYBL isn’t a mass-market experience, only authentic future athletic stars can participate. Our task: Leverage Nike’s NHKYBL sponsorship and create a digital experience that truly engages Hong Kong’s young basketball fans, a highly targeted Nike audience, turning them into brand advocates.

How the final design was conceived

The solution lay in: 1. Driving shareability of ‘Future Athletes’ who physically participated 2. Creating a voyeuristic element for Armchair Athletes We captured imaginations with 3D Creative. Our inspiration was the League’s ‘zero-to-hero’ factor. Inspired by the warriors of the Coliseum, we used WebGL and html 5 technology to craft individual identities and narratives for every participant. The experience mapped their journey from try-outs to main arena fights, each ‘gate’ of the selection process was one step closer to the center of the stadium. Those who passed lived to fight another day, those who failed saw their journey end.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Our creative was a slam dunk! Together, these elements delivered stunning graphics that took the online experience to the next level. The 2013 League out-performed the 2012 League by double in some aspects. Every KPI was exceeded; the audience embraced our content; and the new Coliseum creative brought a wow factor to the campaign and fans loved the way players looked in the Coliseum. Our exceeded KPIs: 1. Reach: measured by Facebook posts (increasing by 90% to almost 1.9 million) and website visits (increased of 12.6%) 2. Engagement: measured by average time spent (increased by 84.6% to 7min 36s)