For years, Citi has been a sponsor of ProCamps youth clinics, sports camps for kids that include drills, games and the chance to play side-by-side with their idols. For kids, being able to interact directly with their sports heroes shows them what's possible through hard work and big dreams. It's no surprise then that the most popular ProCamp features the biggest kid of them all: New England Patriots Tight End Rob Gronkowski.
To raise awareness of the ProCamps opportunities Citi Cardmembers have access to and to engage an audience with the brand, we sought to make a video from Gronk's ProCamp that showcased the following:
- Kids getting a chance to meet and play with the best sports mentors in the world
- Parents getting a chance to create a memory for their kids they'll have forever
- A reminder that you never outgrow the dream to meet your idols
Citi Cardmembers have access to a number of events that are ideal for whole family outings, whether it be a sporting event, musical or a dining opportunity. Where ProCamps stand out is that they're 100% for kids, with the parents positioned as the heroes for making the day possible. This differentiator - coupled with the reality that parents will do anything for their kids - is what informed our strategy: make a video that champions the kids but appeals to parents.
Our approach to this was making the kids the stars by capturing footage of them as if they were the greatest athletes in the world. Through a combination of shots showing the kids taking the field, working through drills and competing against one another, we'd mirror the same energy and enthusiasm that's palpable on NFL game days.
And all of this would be done under the watchful eye of Super Bowl Champ and All-World Tight End, Rob Gronkowski. In addition to being a hero to the kids, Gronk's presence in the video would allow us to extend the audience of the video to include both parents and all football fans.
Once on site, the camp is structured like that of an NFL game, with campers warming up, going through drills to get loose and then playing in actual games. The video was shot that way to capture the totality of the experience, opening with close up vignettes of the campers and closing with Gronk's signature endzone celebration, as performed by a camper.
To enhance the experience, the video was soundtracked by a slow moving orchestral piece to make the every play seem grand. We wanted to evoke the dramatic tension that's built in NFL Films style videos and the music helped make our subjects seem larger than life.
Additionally, to keep the content timely for parent and kid attendees, we edited and published the video the day of the camp to increase relevance.
The video was a success across channels, earning over 271K views.
The video received the most views on Twitter at 130K. This video was also the most efficient post at earning social media impressions out of the entire Gronk campaign.
On Facebook, in addition to earning over 79K views, the video had the highest engagement rate (42%) from all of the pieces of ProCamps content.
On Instagram, the video was our most efficient post at generating a lift in ad recall.
