Key highlights

• A multi-channel campaign that focused onthe fans

• Interactive social channel integration

• Called for fans and brands to join in the club

The challenge

The Royals needed to rebrand themselves after a long run of postseason success.

The challenge was to remind the fan base and the area what was great about being a Royals fan. We need to create something that took on a life of its own.

My role

• Created the campaign strategy, copy and production

• Collaborated with broadcast production and interactive partners

• Contributed to client presenations and approvals

How it came together

It all started with finding that magical phrase, “Raised Royal.” Once we landed on that, we worked on creating messages that only real fans would get. Each statement was layered in pride. Each statement was fan code for being a true Royals fan. The strategy was simple. It’s not a team, it’s a club. And all you had to do to be a member was to care.

And we were the target audience, being raised on George Brett storming the field in a rage during the Pine Tar Incident, signing Take Me Out to the Ballgame in GA and eating ice cream out of a tine blue helmet. We were fans talking to fans and it showed.

And it worked. People made signs. People made memes (we helped them out with those) and we recruited local artists to paint murals around the city. There were bar coasters and promotions. There were bobble heads and TV spots. It felt authentic and organic because we made it both. It was so successful that Cincinnati wanted to borrow the phrase for its brand with “Raised Red”. The client politely declined. After all, this is baseball. And you never stop being competitive.