NISSAN HEISMAN HOUSE PLATFORM
STRATEGY
We invented a 90 year tradition out of thin air, a fraternity where all the Heismans live. Sixteen seasons later, it's a $2+ billion machine.
OVERVIEW
What does Nissan have to do with the Heisman Trophy? Nothing. Nothing at all. But we needed to make people care about their sponsorship. The Heisman started in 1935. One guy wins it a year. You're basically immortal after you get it. It's college football's most prestigious brotherhood: legends bound by a shared experience nobody else will ever have. We took all of that and made it into an actual fraternity.
Campaign Case Study
EXECUTION
I was four years into this business when this weird sports brief landed on my desk. It was just supposed to be a print ad. My partner and I turned it into a platform. We ran all creative top to bottom for the first four seasons. Just a couple of kids captaining something nobody at the agency cared about. Chiat didn't even give us a producer, so we worked directly with ESPN's production team. Small time stuff, until one day it kind of wasn't.
By the time we passed the torch, we had shot 34 Heisman Trophy winners and built Heisman House into a full branded franchise: an annual 10-city national activation tour with a physical Heisman House built on a different college campus every week, 50 broadcast and online spots, print campaigns, a virtual Heisman House, an hour-long broadcast special on ESPN, and a home for the fan vote culminating in the ceremony every December. Probably the most fun I've had in this business.
Featured Heismans: Barry Sanders, Doug Flutie, Vinny Testaverde, Troy Smith, Tim Brown, Eddie George, Mark Ingram, Desmond Howard, Marcus Allen, Charlie Ward, Ron Dayne, Matt Leinart, Charles Woodson, Robert Griffin III, Herschel Walker, Archie Griffin, Ricky Williams, Tony Dorsett, Carson Palmer, Mike Rozier, Ty Detmer, Sam Bradford, Earl Campbell, Bo Jackson, Roger Staubach, Billy Sims, Johnny Manziel, Andre Ware, John David Crow, Danny Wuerffel, George Rogers, Eric Crouch, John Lattner, Johnny Rogers.
SEASON 4
Mini Johnny: Johnny Manziel, Charles Woodson
Roommates: Roger Staubach, Johnny Manziel
Backyard Football: Charles Woodson, Marcus Allen, Tony Dorsett, Ricky Williams, Billy Sims, George Rogers, Johnny Football, John David Crow, Andre Ware, RG3
Playoffs: Johnny Manziel, George Rogers, Ricky Williams, Tony Dorsett, Charles Woodson, Roger Staubach, Neil Everett
Roger Staubach
Tony Dorsett
SEASON 3
Flashback: RG3, Sam Bradford, Barry Sanders, Desmond Howard, Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell
Rivalry: Earl Campbell, Sam Bradford
Coordinated: Mike Rozier, Sam Bradford, Ty Detmer, Carson Palmer, Tim Brown
Robert Griffin III
Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart
Confessionals
We made a bunch of these for digital content. Here's a couple of my favorites.
Fake Laugh: RG3, Desmond Howard
Bond: Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer
Bowling: Ty Detmer, Matt Leinart, Carson Palmer
Chores: Desmond Howard, RG3, Earl Campbell, Ty Detmer, Sam Bradford, Tony Dorsett
Virtual Heisman House
We created an online hub where fans could cast their Heisman vote, tour the house, watch digital content, broadcast spots, and re-live archived footage of their favorite Heismans in action.
SEASON 2
Hula: Matt Leinart, Herschel Walker, Marcus Allen, Eddie George. Yeah Herschel. Sigh. What a butthead.
Two: Charles Woodson, Archie Griffin
Rudy: Tim Brown, Sean Astin, Marcus Allen
Herschel Walker: Yeah another one that aged poorly. Still looks cool though.
Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard
RG3, Eddie George, Mark Ingram
SEASON 1
Pose: Mark Ingram, Desmond Howard
Buckeyes: Troy Smith, Tim Brown, Eddie George
Epic: Barry Sanders, Doug Flutie, Vinny Testaverde