Case Study
How Jordan Brand kept the conversation going on Twitter with ‘The Encore’
Key Results
6.97M
views across three live streams on Twitter
50%
more efficient CPI than category benchmarks
92%
increase in Jordan Brand mentions compared to month prior
The opportunity
ESPN’s 10-part documentary series “The Last Dance,” about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 championship season, offered a reprieve at the start of 2020 at a time when the world was shut down due to a global pandemic and live sports were on pause. It blew the minds of sports fans everywhere and dominated the sports discussion for weeks, especially on Twitter. #TheLastDance was the #1 trending topic on Twitter in the US, with 25 out of 30 top trends related to the series.1
This presented a unique opportunity for Jordan Brand. As the brand’s namesake, Michael Jordan redefined the game of basketball and the entire sneaker industry. What started in Chicago with MJ and a love of the game ignited a culture. That culture became the foundation of the Jordan Brand, and from there the Jumpman family was born. Today the Air Jordan shoes are as iconic as Michael Jordan himself.
The strategy
How could Jordan Brand leverage this cultural event to not only celebrate MJ and its origins but also inspire consumers and make them feel connected to basketball culture during a time when they needed it more than ever? By streaming an exclusive show of its own: “The Encore Presented by Jordan Brand.” The strategy delivered on consumers’ needs, since according to a recent Twitter study, over three-quarters (78%) of people on Twitter agree that brands should try to bring sports fans together while they cannot go to the stadium or watch together as a group in person.2
Hosted by Sage Steele from EPSN, “The Encore Presented by Jordan Brand” continued the conversation from the previous night’s episode of “The Last Dance” by offering insights and commentary about the documentary and all things Air Jordan. Featuring exclusive interviews with NBA superstars and the biggest names in music and film, each episode of “The Encore” dug deeper into Michael Jordan’s legacy and influence on sports, their own careers, and basketball culture.
01
It’s showtime!
Each episode was made available on demand via Jordan Brand’s Live Event Page on Twitter.
02
Build hype and anticipation using Brand Reminders.
With this star-studded lineup, Jordan Brand used Twitter’s Brand Reminders to promote upcoming episodes and to encourage opt-ins for notifications when the next live stream of “The Encore” aired.
03
Share episode highlights to bolster viewership.
To encourage replays, Jordan Brand promoted highlights from “The Encore,” featuring snippets from interviews with the special guests that stopped by.
04
Use re-targeting to drive purchases within mobile app.
Jordan Brand then retargeted fans who engaged with “The Encore” with Video App Cards, using the Jumpman family to steer customers to the Nike app, where they could buy a pair of their own Air Jordans.
After the tenth and final episode of “The Last Dance” aired in May, Jordan Brand helped fill the void by continuing the conversation with a top-of-the-timeline takeover to promote “The Anthem,” the brand’s film about Michael Jordan’s legacy.
The Success
The strategy to unite consumers with basketball culture worked. There were close to 7 million views of “The Encore” across three live streams on Twitter, as well as a 92% increase in Jordan Brand mentions compared to the previous month and a 50% more efficient CPI than category benchmarks.3 “The Anthem” film also drove +354% in positive sentiment through First View compared to the week prior.4
“The Last Dance” was a watershed moment in culture. It gave basketball fans a reminder of the greatness of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls of the ’90s. For Jordan Brand, it gave it the perfect opportunity to connect to a cultural moment and through “The Encore” give sports-starved fans even more of His Airness.
Sources:
1. Twitter internal, US, April/May, 2020
2. Sparkler, commissioned by Twitter, Twitter as a Stadium Survey, August 2020, USA
3. 1) Brandwatch, April 2020 mentions of #jumpman OR @Jumpman23 compared to May 1-24, 2020 mentions in the US;
2) Q1 2020 Twitter benchmark for retail app installs
4. Sentiment on May 17 & 18, 2020 for @Jumpman23 OR #jumpman compared to daily average of the 7 days prior, Brandwatch, US