QB Wilson the inspiration for Wilson X Connected campaign
Your football is now connected. That’s what sports brand Wilson is touting with its new campaign for the Wilson X Connected Football, and it’s using Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson as the inspiration for backyard footballers.
The campaign, “The Stadium is Everywhere,” by agency Phenomenon, features teens playing two-on-two football at a local park, one wearing Wilson’s #3 jersey while he uses the Wilson X Connected Football and app. This is backyard ball for the digital era, with kids able to scroll through plays on their phones – conveniently secure in an arm sleeve, much like college and pro players wear – and accurately track their performance.
Wilson calls it the first ever smart football and it uses a tiny chip in the ball, with built-in gyroscope, to interpret the movement of the ball so players can measure distance, spin rate, catches and drops, speed and spiral efficiency. The information is sent via Bluetooth to a free app and organized in five different modes – game-style data statistic boards are based on various goal challenges. One of the 15 pieces of video Phenomenon produced for Wilson calls it “like playing a video game with a football in your hand.”
Phenomenon developed the videos to appeal to the “backyard athletes” ages 11-17 and serious athletes alike, while educating and engaging them in the experience that the "stadium is everywhere" they want to throw the ball.
The campaign’s first video, titled “Legends,” showcases the experience consumers can have when the ball and app work together to transform any turf -- a backyard, a high school football field and more -- into an NFL gridiron. The other two spots will be rolling out later this fall and the campaign will run through Q1 2017.
Phenomenon took the initial “The Stadium is Everywhere” concept and developed the look and the feel for the overall marketing campaign, which informed the app and product development, ball design, packaging, as well as various activations, Wilson’s mobile demo tour, static visual assets, and creative.
Credits
Wilson X Connected Football
Agency: Phenomenon
Team: Team Wilson
Client: Wilson Sporting Goods
Production Company – Los York
Director – Dexton Deboree & Seth Epstein
Editorial - Cut & Run / Sean Fazende & Steve Gandolfi
Music Company: Echolab
Composer: Gavin Little
Color: Company 3 / Siggy Ferstil
Sfx: Lime Studios / Matt Miller
Mix: Lime Studios / Matt Miller