To announce Cash App’s year-long partnership with WNBA star Angel Reese, they needed an approach that felt exciting to her fans, and authentic to both their brand and hers.
First we had to find the common theme that tied the two brands together. Both are disruptive, change-makers in a legacy category. They represent a new model for young people, and maybe most importantly, they are deeply committed to giving back to their respective communities.
This last insight revealed a huge opportunity for both brands: perform an audacious act of direct giving in Reese’s new hometown of Chicago. For Angel, it was a way to connect directly with her WNBA fanbase, and give back to the city that had given her so much in her rookie season. For Cash App, it was a way to activate a digital brand in a physical format within a target market, and raise awareness of their new partnership.
We developed “The Angel Machine,” a seven foot tall monolith where fans play a game of chance for the opportunity to win Angel Reese’s things like her jersey, cards, handbag, sunglasses and crown.
The experience was set up in a busy thoroughfare in Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. Angel tweeted the location inviting people to play — her fans loved it.
And the press loved it too, garnering coverage in Yahoo Sports, Vibe.com, Bleacher Report,The Mirror, Marketing Brew and many other sports and lifestyle publications.
The Angel Machine’s success gave Angel Reese and her fans a new platform to engage, and it set a standard for all of Cash App’s future sports sponsorships.
