Timing is Everything, as Experiential & Digital Contest Campaign Penetrates the US
In May 2017, Ccilu USA embarked on a season-long sponsorship of the World of Dance Winners Circle. Propeller 5 brought the opportunity to Ccilu with an eye toward boosting the brand’s US presence. Sold in 60 countries, with 40+ retail stores across Asia and Europe, Ccilu shoes were familiar to foreign audiences, but had not yet come to North America.
At the same time, not only was the live World of Dance competition tour a hit with Ccilu’s intended youth-through-young adult demographic, but NBC Universal was about to launch the first season of a WOD competition series. No one knew for certain how big a hit the NBC version would be, but the odds were in our favor.
Ccilu product would not be available in the US until June 2017, and WOD would be taking a chance on an unknown quantity (their other signature sponsor is Paul Mitchell). Through our relationship with WOD, Propeller 5 put the sponsorship together, and everybody won: Ccilu USA benefited from the validation of an American co-brand. Winners Circle videos topped 5 million views. And NBC had a hit on its hands with the most-watched summer alternative series debut on broadcast in nine years.
To optimize Ccilu USA’s Winners Circle sponsorship, the Propeller 5 team devised an experiential component: a side contest, spanning 14 cities from Los Angeles to New York. At each stop on the WOD live competition tour, fans would be invited to stop by the brand’s booth to “liberate yourself & dance!”
Contestants would be recorded for 30 seconds on video, reminded that this is more about self-expression than skill. Each month, videos from a single city would be voted on at https://www.ccilu.com/worldofdance.
Ccilu signed off on the effort, and in the months since, the contest has been a hit with attendees, igniting engagement on social media, and inspiring UGC.
And judging from some of the posts popping up on Instagram, the winners are loving the new brand.
For example, both of our co-winners in NJ posted pics in their new Ccilu’s:
In fact, Jacob donated a portion of his winnings to victims of Hurricane Harvey (way to go, Jacob!).
With 3 more cities to go, the excitement and enthusiasm is building. To make the suspense a little more bearable, Ccilu USA is now posting more than one city’s videos each month. Nonetheless, thousands of votes will be cast between now and the moment we award the Grand Prize. But the truth is, each and every contestant is a winner, and a champion not only of dance, but of self-expression.
The entire sponsorship and activation aligns with the tagline Propeller 5 crafter for Ccilu USA: “liberate yourself…and your next step is clear!”
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