Sport Chek: the basketball story of my neighborhood

Credits & Description:

Media: Outdoor / Indoor posters
Sport Chek
Touché! PHD
Canada
Insight
Establishing brand credibility in a new sport is a hard task. You can’t fool skeptical basketball fans: Sport Chek’s entrance into this new field had to be perceived as authentic. Even more challenging was the fact that Sport Chek’s main competitor, American giant Footlocker, was the official NBA sponsor and had held the monopoly of the game for many years.
Sport Chek, however, had one asset it could leverage to build its basketball credibility: Sport Chek was well-known for its grassroots involvement. The brand has consistently invested in building strong relationships with the communities of each of its 193 stores. From local sporting organisations aimed at getting kids involved in activity at an early age to its ties with national, amateur-level sporting organisations, Sport Chek has always been committed to helping communities get active.
Like Sport Chek, basketball is a game intertwined with communities. The campaign targeted Toronto, home of the NBA Raptors, Canada's only professional basketball team. Basketball therefore became the platform on which to engage communities in the Greater Toronto area.
Strategy
Amateur basketball players live in a microcosm, where passionate rivalries are defined by neighbourhoods, each of which possesses a unique style of play. On the court, everyone, from the affluent to the underprivileged, is united by a common love of the game. This insight allowed Touché! PHD to explore the Toronto market on a deeper level and to refine its strategy.
Since targeting a niche audience was the key to success, the agency worked with local insiders, like coaches, and found nine neighbourhoods that formed the core of the campaign. Each neighbourhood had a ''NO OUTSIDER'' rule in effect at all times, and each neighbourhood was a micro-market representing a basketball community.
It was important that all neighbourhoods involved felt the campaign was about them. The campaign was called #MyNorth, a nod to the Raptors’ #WeTheNorth hashtag, and shed light on the vibrant local cultures that flourish in gyms and outdoor courts. The unique basketball identities of each neighbourhood became the focus of the creative and content strategy.
The clothing line, composed of T-shirts and hoodies emblazoned with the slogan followed the same pattern. Each of the nine neighbourhoods got its own set of apparel.

Execution
The agency partnered with TSN, the Raptors’ broadcaster, to produce documentaries featuring the neighbourhoods and player stories. Each of the nine neighbourhoods was highlighted with its own documentary. The documentaries aired on TSN and digital networks, and were also shown during Raptors’ home games.
Touché! PHD deployed a guerilla campaign trafficking iconic creatives representing each neighbourhood's colours. It hand-picked 500 locations, including basketball boards, bleachers, and street furniture and turned them into new media (a feat requiring proper posting authorizations) to reach the audience where it naturally hung out.
Integrating community centres with basketball clinics was another tactic we used to win acceptance from the basketball community. For example, it installed detachable posters and magnetic stickers at specific locales like changing rooms. By making this campaign 100% detachable, players could proudly wear the colours of their neighbourhoods and those of Sport Chek as well. At night, projections celebrated each community with a custom creative.
Sport Chek also asked players to submit their own stories. Every media touch point invited players to share their personal experiences using the #MyNorth hashtag. The most engaging stories aired during Raptors games on TV broadcasts and on the arena Jumbotron. All of the #MyNorth callouts were reposted on social media. To encourage sharing, an entire arena section was offered to fans at each of the 41 Raptors home games, and Sport Chek's basketball clinics were held in each community.
Results
Sport Chek earned credibility and acceptance from the basketball community. The #MyNorth hashtag experienced mind-blowing success, with 15 million social shares generated in Toronto, a city of six million people. The campaign artwork was swept up in record time. The exclusive #MyNorth apparel line sold in less than two months, and, thanks to its success, a new line will launch to coincide with playoff season.