The Next Contenders campaign was born so fans could delve deeper into the game and to create an ownable property for American Express. We boldly threw our hat into the ring, staking claim to four up-and-comers slated for greatness. By teaming with these young stars, we guaranteed a depth of access that Cardmembers had never before been privy to — following the Next Contenders during the Summer circuit, talking to their entourage and staging events with fans. The implementation ran the gamut: branded exclusive content, experiential activations, live experience, PR, advertising and digital.

By focusing a 360° approach on the next generation of talent, American Express served up an ace. Activations featuring the Next Contenders were expanded to three tournaments reaching hundreds of thousands of fans. Cardmembers received unprecedented access, with hundreds meeting Next Contenders at exclusive private events. Millions of digital impressions came from fans exploring more than one hundred blog entries and videos on nextcontenders.com and through the official iPhone app. Next Contenders interacted with hundreds of thousands of fans through social media channels. Wrapping it up, Next Contender TV/Jumbotron spots and out-of-home signage racked up additional impressions. Game, set, match.