Advertising Capstone Project
For my final semester at the University of Oklahoma, my capstone class for advertising tasked me and the team I was placed with to produce an advertising campaign for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In this campaign, both primary and secondary research was collected, a target audience was selected, a media plan consisting of $1.9 million of spending was constructed, and a fully realized creative activation set was tailored to the NBA team. The semester ended with each team within the class holding a final presentation with the Director of Brand Influence and Identity, as well as the Manager of Fan Development for the Thunder. After each team presented, the Thunder elected my team’s campaign (Surge) as the winning campaign.
Below are some creative highlights from this campaign.
For a portion of the creative activation, I was tasked to produce a concept video for our big idea: Born for Thrill. Without being supplied with any footage, the largest obstacle I faced was foraging for high-quality clips to reflect the thrill of a Thunder game. This was also the first time I fully utilized Adobe After Effects, which was used to create the beginning and end bumper. Overall, I believe I created a concept video that carries the energy and spirit of the team and learned many valuable skills that I will utilize in future projects.
The Thrill of Dating Meets the Thrill of the Thunder!
In this experiential concept, we sought after connecting Hinge users with the Oklahoma City Thunder. If two users meet the criteria of residing in the Oklahoma City area, share an interest in basketball, and have begun chatting, they could have an opportunity to have an all-expensed date to an Oklahoma City Thunder game. Not only would this allow the chance for possible earned media (social media posts and stories) but also a chance to form a positive relationship with the team.
Taste the Thunder
The Thunder Thriller Blueberry Basil sour ale would be a product of the partnership between Prairie Brewery and the Thunder. By crafting this beverage with a local brewery, the Oklahoma City Thunder would be able to tie themselves with a staple local business. This beverage could be sold all across Oklahoma as well as be served in breweries, bars, and beer gardens. By reaching statewide, the Thunder could continue intertwining the team with Oklahoma culture.
Concept work by Kelsie Wilson
What the Thunder is Made Of
To encompass all mediums, a Spotify ad was produced. This ad would be targeted geographically to those in and around Oklahoma and would typically be nested with popular sports podcasts. After writing the script, we hired a professional voice actor who was chosen specifically to match our target audience. We then mixed the audio with the sounds of the Thunder to fully immerse the listener. The visual to the left is the graphic that would be displayed while the audio ad is playing.