The Athletic approached Ways & Means to develop a growth campaign to coincide with the kickoff of football season and promote their NFL, college, and fantasy coverage. Felipe led a team to develop and pitch several approaches including the winning creative 'In the Blink of an Eye.'
Athletic audience research revealed that key growth demographics consumed more live sports broadcasts than written journalism. The team used this insight as a jumping-off point to contrast the flashy cinematic coverage of live broadcast sports with the deep coverage that informs every Athletic subscriber as they watch every moment of the season.
The team identified a real story from the preceding year—the Cincinnati Bengals' historic 2021 season led by Joe Burrow—which would still have relevance during the campaign's run. Working closely with The Athletic's editorial teams, they adapted headlines, infographics, tweets, subscriber comments, and even podcast call-ins for a spot told largely through on-screen graphics and sound design.
The team identified a real story from the preceding year—the Cincinnati Bengals' historic 2021 season led by Joe Burrow—which would still have relevance during the campaign's run. Working closely with The Athletic's editorial teams, they adapted headlines, infographics, tweets, subscriber comments, and even podcast call-ins for a spot told largely through on-screen graphics and sound design.
To that effect, the team enlisted the help of Forth+Back to develop a graphic language that was a natural extension of the brand's distinctive style and Glue Factory Music to build a soundscape which supported this storytelling while also building drama and tension.
We identified a real story from the preceeding year (the Cincinnati Bengals historic 2021 season led by Joe Burrow) which would still have veilance while our spot was in market and worked closely with the Atheletic’s editorial teams to adapt headlines, infographics, tweets, subscriber comments, and even podcast call-ins for a spot told largely through on-screen graphics and sound design.
To lead the live action shoot, they brought on director Kevin Phillips. His cinematic high-speed cinematography combined energy, emotion, and drama to create a base that supported the overlaid graphic elements and gestured at the second-screen experience that defines contemporary sports viewership.
The campaign, which was also adapted for OOH in key markets, was incredibly successful for the brand. The Athletic asked Ways & Means to adapt the concept for basketball and the kick-off of the NBA season the following quarter.
We identified a real story from the preceeding year (the Cincinnati Bengals historic 2021 season led by Joe Burrow) which would still have veilance while our spot was in market and worked closely with the Atheletic’s editorial teams to adapt headlines, infographics, tweets, subscriber comments, and even podcast call-ins for a spot told largely through on-screen graphics and sound design.
To lead the live action shoot, they brought on director Kevin Phillips. His cinematic high-speed cinematography combined energy, emotion, and drama to create a base that supported the overlaid graphic elements and gestured at the second-screen experience that defines contemporary sports viewership.
The campaign, which was also adapted for OOH in key markets, was incredibly successful for the brand. The Athletic asked Ways & Means to adapt the concept for basketball and the kick-off of the NBA season the following quarter.