SPORTS MARKETING // CONTENT // LIVE ACTIVATIONS // BRAND PARTNERSHIPS // BRAND STRATEGY
LA Kings // Launching a Season
YEAR: 2018 - 2022
Project overview
Ignite a sense of pride for LA and our team that was coming off a rebuild season, which required introducing fresh branding, a fresh voice, and angle to bring fans back to the arena. Launching a season is lead by introducing the vision, executing multiple film shoots with players, personalities, and producing creative and video content with a unified look and cohesive brand feel to take over the city and inside the arena.
The challenge
Each season needs a unique hook and reason for fans to get excited. The creative needed to be cohesive and include our new LA Kings word mark and be able to be used in in-arena graphics for the first half of the season.
My role
Creative Director - My role overseeing creative and production was to develop the vision and direction to take our brand and team into a new season. This is the biggest brand initiative of the season that touches every element of our social, in-person, and broadcast experience. Starting with the brand guide refresh that introduced a new wordmark we went to adapting that vision for in-arena creative and what we would need for Media Day, and then turning that into a season defining marketing package for the team to own. It required pitch decks, fan listening workshops, and producing work that would lay the foundation for our brand.
The solution
Our cross-functional team developed a omni-channel 360* marketing strategy and campaign including social, digital, in-arena, broadcast, and localised event activations.
visual identity
Each season we start with what our brand represents and has evolved and translate that into our Brand Bible. This book is then brought to life through the thousands of pieces of creative elements used on social, on LED boards during Media Day Shoots, and brought to life in OOH and in-arena design packages. When your team colors are black and white, you need to find the edge and grit within design to make it stand out and feel fresh season to season.
Brand Guidelines
New arena - CCV signage with new wordmark
Brand system visual package
Season launch social graphics
OOH - Metro Wrap
media day
The most complex production of the season included capturing all athlete images, video, and in-arena graphic requirements on ice. Media day also includes dry-land shoots for social content and partnership requirements with partners at Fox Sports and Getty Images to complete our deliverables and have the necessary material to start a season.
System of a Down - Special Guests shoots
In-arena prompts
Hero photography
Media Day BTS
Green screen shoot with players
hero film
The hero film anchored the campaign, featuring a seamless blend of professional and amateur athletes united by their unstoppable spirit.
Season Promo - Marketing video
Ticking Initiative - Social Promo video
in-arena creative
In-arena video and creative needed a full refresh with the brand approach including all boards, partnership graphics, and prompts played during game time.
campaign results
Increased pre-season ticket sales up 15% YoY
Set the standard for creative to take all key touch-points of the brand through season launch and the start of season - seamlessly, cohesively, and visually inspiring.
Bucket list item: Working with System of a Down and B-Real of Cypress Hill, to create new, music-led prompts for the team
Social content was shared more than any regular season creative with new branding being shared and talked about among fans and industry leaders.