Jordan Spieth Sponsorship

As the lead for digital marketing supporting AT&T’s brand and sponsorships, I developed and executed a multi-year content marketing program centered around AT&T’s partnership with championship golfer Jordan Spieth.

Approach:

Our approach was informed by research showing when fans feel a personal connection with an athlete, their sense of fandom intensifies. Fans also expressed a preference for behind-the-scenes content.

Based on these insights, we create a social media campaign that gave consumers a uniquely personal and entertaining view of Spieth's personality and athletic talent, fostering a deeper sense of intimacy with the golfer — all enabled by AT&T's sponsorship and services.

The program consisted of three key content pillars:

Authentic access to Jordan Spieth: Featuring behind-the-scenes video content and interactive Twitter chats, it offered fans a rare and real look at the person Jordan really is.
Online extensions of the on-the-ground experience at golf tournaments for fans at home: At major AT&T-sponsored events like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, social media influencers acted as correspondents, delivering engaging man-on-the-street interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes content. When exciting moments in play occurred, we capitalized by sharing real-time celebration graphics, generating sharp spikes in social engagement.

AT&T products and services delivering unique access to tournament play: For example, tweets shared cinemagraphs shot at unique angles that depicted the iconic greens at The Masters and prompted the audience to tune in to the tournament via U-verse Multiview for exclusive, live camera angles of Augusta National.

Video Activation Example – Spelling with Jordan Spieth:

The 13-year-old Scripps National Spelling Bee champion was one of Jordan Spieth's biggest fans, so with just a few days' notice I spearheaded production of a video that would feature Spieth surprising the young spelling champ in the lead up to The Barclays Golf Tournament. The video was shot in one take and was completely un-rehearsed. The final product gave users a fun glimpse into Spieth's personality and sense of humor. In addition to producing the video, I led the creation of all social content and copy supporting the project.

Impact & Results:

The content earned mega-watt media placements including SportsCenter, ESPN.com, For the Win | USA Today Sports, Bleacher Report, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, Golf.com, GolfDigest.com, and The Associated Press — among many others. The content also achieved outstanding social engagement — producing 15,000 engagements on Jordan's social channels with a 38% view rate — far exceeding benchmarks.

Social Media Campaign Strategists: Lauren Price, Lauren Schleyer

Producer: Lauren Price

Editor: George Westberg

Photographers: Lauren Price, George Westberg, Caroline Robinson Smith