Champion had lost relevance amongst young males and wanted to change this. Considering the cluttered high-spend category, it needed to connect with them in a way that gave the brand a distinct personality.
Denuo realized that the big sports brands spend all their money and attention on the professional athlete. Champion stands for another kind of sports hero, the often ignored backyard athlete who savors the fun of sport as much as the competition. And he has incredible skills that can be more entertaining to watch then the pros.
This content already exists in huge numbers via user created sports clips on sites like YouTube. Videos ranging from trick basketball shots to mattress surfing. Denuo weeded through thousands of these and asked the most impressive to become part of a show.
The result is “Homestyle Sports,” a series of 12 episodes (so far) stitching together the best moments from these user videos. Viewers are also invited to submit their own clips for consideration. Shows were released episodically and evolved to address viewer feedback. Champion sponsors the series, giving these athletes the big stage they deserve.
To initially seed the videos, Denuo promoted the show in key areas where this audience seeks out video. This kick-started viewership, participation and pass along.
The series is efficiently reaching a large audience of young males in an area devoid of Nike and Adidas. It has driven over 1.3MM views, which are growing at an impressive pace, even in the absence of active promotion.
The effort is also resonating with everyday sports heroes. The shows average a 4.5 (out of 5) rating. The YouTube channel currently has 1,042 subscribers. And there have been about 200 submissions so far, all from athletes flaunting their skills in “extreme skipping,” “jumprope pogo ball”˙ and many other “Homestyle Sports.”
Client: Champion
Agency: Denuo
Budget: Under $500k
Date of Campaign: Promotion ran 4/08-6/08, shows continue to remain live
Case Study URL: http://www.youtube.com/homestylesports
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