#TheDebut
By VML, Kansas City, USA
For Gatorade
Highly Commended in category Direct
In subcategory Consumer Marketing
Project Description
Games have become dual-screen events with Gatorade’s audience flocking to Twitter after every play. While watching TV using a mobile phone is the new norm, nothing has brought the two experiences together. So, we set out to find a way to turn the second screen into the only screen — to turn a live broadcast from a spectator sport into a fully interactive social experience.
We created #TheDebut, the first real-time sports broadcast experience designed for a digitally native audience. We found the top high school teams and players you couldn’t see anywhere else and broadcast eight games live on Gatorade’s Twitter handle. #TheDebut gave the reigns to the fans watching at home, letting them lead a live conversation.
Each broadcast became a unique experience, merging the best of social into the game itself. Live tweets led the on-air game conversation, from the game MVP to what was shown on the hand-held host cameras. The conversation online became the broadcast’s dialogue so, for the first time ever, fans did more than just watch the game — they became part of it.
Gatorade also responded in real-time on Twitter creating highlights as they happened, tweeting custom emojis in reaction to big plays, and building Twitter Moments that recapped the best content from each night’s game.
Reaching Gatorade’s competitive athlete teen athlete audience continues to get more fractured. They spend 5+ hours a day on their phone, and when they do engage with traditional sports broadcasts on TV the messaging can get tuned out, with 75% of the audience using a second screen.
To gain their attention, we wanted to put our audience at the center of our messaging like never before – broadcasting their own games. We first looked to high school basketball, a growing American phenomenon on social media with top players gaining upwards of 1 million followers. And Twitter is where they go to discuss everything about the sport.
Instead of distracting from the action, we identified opportunities where we could create engagement within the sports-broadcast format, and merged the two into a single screen experience. Allowing them to interact with the experience in real-time directly through live-broadcast games on Gatorade’s Twitter handle.
We created #TheDebut, the first real-time sports broadcast experience designed for a digitally native audience. We found the top high school teams and players you couldn’t see anywhere else and broadcast eight games live on Gatorade’s Twitter handle. #TheDebut gave the reigns to the fans watching at home, letting them lead a live conversation.
Each broadcast became a unique experience, merging the best of social into the game itself. Live tweets led the on-air game conversation, from the game MVP to what was shown on the hand-held host cameras. The conversation online became the broadcast’s dialogue so, for the first time ever, fans did more than just watch the game — they became part of it.
Gatorade also responded in real-time on Twitter creating highlights as they happened, tweeting custom emojis in reaction to big plays, and building Twitter Moments that recapped the best content from each night’s game.
Reaching Gatorade’s competitive athlete teen athlete audience continues to get more fractured. They spend 5+ hours a day on their phone, and when they do engage with traditional sports broadcasts on TV the messaging can get tuned out, with 75% of the audience using a second screen.
To gain their attention, we wanted to put our audience at the center of our messaging like never before – broadcasting their own games. We first looked to high school basketball, a growing American phenomenon on social media with top players gaining upwards of 1 million followers. And Twitter is where they go to discuss everything about the sport.
Instead of distracting from the action, we identified opportunities where we could create engagement within the sports-broadcast format, and merged the two into a single screen experience. Allowing them to interact with the experience in real-time directly through live-broadcast games on Gatorade’s Twitter handle.
Agency Solution
#TheDebut kicked off in January 2018, with Gatorade and Twitter coming together to internationally broadcast eight elite high school basketball games live. Broadcasts featured top teams and highly ranked players from all over the country, and the program was supported by targeted digital content — fans received game time Twitter reminders prior to tip-off. Gatorade also engaged in real time with fans on Twitter, responding to live questions, comments and game reactions.
Users could watch the game and view the conversation simultaneously on their mobile phones for a seamless experience. The games featured unique camera angles rarely seen on TV broadcasts, host commentary was directed by fan tweets, and live player polls were selected by fans on Twitter. The real-time nature of the broadcast and conversation became the foundation for #TheDebut, making it a live social experience unlike any other.
Users could watch the game and view the conversation simultaneously on their mobile phones for a seamless experience. The games featured unique camera angles rarely seen on TV broadcasts, host commentary was directed by fan tweets, and live player polls were selected by fans on Twitter. The real-time nature of the broadcast and conversation became the foundation for #TheDebut, making it a live social experience unlike any other.