The campaign took off, reaching 10 million views across 15 pieces of content. ‘If We Made It’ was picked up via 615 unique media stories and generated over 1 billion media impressions, totaling $11 million+ in earned media. Beyond the views and media attention, ‘If We Made It’ broke through the Super Bowl clutter to build NBA’s brand health. NBA received a +416% brand lift (2Xs the competition at 1/35th of their budget) and saw an 18% increase in purchase intent during the life of the campaign. No bollocks indeed.

Typically tongue-in-cheek, NBA relentlessly teased a Super Bowl commercial we would have made if we had the budget to do so. Media was designed to drive reach of the video content but also drive mock-credibility behind 'If We Made It'. We worked with targeted partners to create editorial-like articles that perpetuated the myth behind the ‘If We Made It’ backstory. With a limited budget, earned media was going to be critical in driving reach of the video content. We worked with our key social partners to architect a precision plan that started with the launch of the first piece of content two weeks prior to the Super Bowl, leading right up to the launch of the 'commercial' during the game itself. We used advanced targeting to reach social influencers WHO were most likely to share at times of day WHEN they were most likely to share.

In the US, Newcastle Brown Ale (NBA) battles for awareness against craft beers and larger mainstream beers with big budgets. NBA’s “No Bullocks” rallying cry was built on the insight that our consumers want a “refreshing dose of honesty” in their daily lives. Our target honors authenticity and rejects falsehoods and “short-cuts” in claiming authenticity. He sees right through brands that try too hard to sell him things.

We set our sights on the Super Bowl, which has become the biggest selling event of the year. The Super Bowl comes with two weeks of news having nothing to do with the game itself. The commercials have BECOME the news. If two weeks ever needed a refreshing dose of honesty, it’s these two.

So what “if we made” a Super Bowl commercial? NBA is going to call-out the bollocks in Super Bowl marketing by hijacking the conversation surrounding the game.