INNOCEAN Showcase The Superstars Of Draft Day 2031

You can’t deny the power of parental pride. Whether it’s cheering Junior at his/her local sporting event, marvelling at their innate aptitude for a particular skill or even proudly admiring their uncanny ability to, well, just be good at anything, nothing can stop a smug papa or mama when it comes to bellowing about their offspring. It’s with this in mind that the clever folk at INNOCEAN USA have created their latest campaign for Hyundai imploring families to help predict the future stars of Draft Day 2031.

Teaming up with NFL Network Draft Analyst Mike Mayock, ‘Draft Day 2031’ is a charming mockumentary featuring Mayock’s inimitable football analysis, the twist being the subjects are kids who could be selected 15 years from now. Featuring cameos from NFL players Lawrence Timmons from the Steelers and Sam Young of the Dolphins, the mockumentary plays off the idiosyncrasies of the pro broadcaster analyzing the budding hopefuls and is chock-full of fun.

We were charmed by the spot and its surrounding campaign, so sat down with Nick Flora, ACD and Copywriter on the work, to get a little insight into the creative process that led to spotting the superstars of the future.

What was the first compelling idea behind the campaign? What made you think ‘we’re on to something here’?

Our biggest solve was to optimize Hyundai’s branding efforts with their NFL sponsorship. The challenge was twofold: first, to appeal to fans in an authentic way; second, we want Hyundai to be a good partner with the NFL, so we focused on finding a bridge between Hyundai’s brand message and the NFL’s current branding efforts, “Football Is Family.”

The NFL Draft is something we wanted to celebrate, but we wanted, most importantly, to elevate the fan experience. Draft Day 2031 accomplishes both in a charming way.

How did you go about developing it? At what stage did the more interactive elements come in?

This campaign is the first of many to be housed on Hyundai’s new NFL digital hub. Over the course of their four-year partnership, we will be building a central location that will be loaded with authentic NFL content along with other interactive initiatives. So essentially, the interactive elements of this campaign were key to the initial concept.

Our content video featured on the site is meant to draw the audience in with a mockumentary-style concept entertaining the idea that NFL teams are looking at young kids for a draft that will take place in 15 years. Following the video, we have a call to action inviting viewers to make their own Draft Day 2031 video, which they can post on their social feeds.

How did the brand react to the idea? Did they need any convincing?

Hyundai was excited about the idea for several reasons. They understood the value of Hyundai becoming associated with the NFL in a very real way. Overall, they saw how the concept held true with Hyundai’s brand message of making things better for Hyundai owners and potential buyers.

How important was it to get the authenticity of the project right? What did you do to achieve that?

The authenticity of the campaign was paramount in our communications. We knew Mike Mayock would play a huge part in accomplishing that. We also enlisted a couple of NFL players to be a part of the introductory video. We paid attention to all of the details in order to make it feel close to an NFL piece of content. From the logo to the VO and even to the look and feel of the film—all were carefully managed to hit the authenticity of the campaign.

They say never work with children or animals – how was your experience with the little superstars?

The experience was fantastic! The actual gameplay footage was graciously given to us by a YouTube member. The kids used in the video were very charming child actors. Honestly, we just let the kids be themselves. Mayock was a natural with them right away. The responses we captured were the kids’ natural reactions.

How was the shoot in general? Was it all fully scripted or did you leave some things to be created spontaneously?

The shoot was, honestly, a blast. We set up at a local college in order to bring authenticity to the videos. Tool of North America’s overall delivery was stellar. It was a pleasure working with J.J. Adler. She’s super collaborative, and had a way with the kids that made the whole experience lighthearted and fun.

We did have a script, but that was for more of an overall guideline. Writing for Mayock was essentially rewriting the kind of phrases he’s already known for. We spent hours researching videos in order to write his “Mayockisms.” He took a look at the script for the first time and was, like, “Wow, this is pretty much how I talk.” Of course we gave him the freedom to make changes to the script in order for it to feel like his own words. We had some ideas of how we would want the kids to respond to his questions, but knew we’d get the real gold with their own improvisation.

The campaign is obviously fairly US focused, due to the subject matter. Are you hoping it’ll cut through to other territories (after all, who doesn’t like cute kids being hilarious) or is the US your primary focus for it?

Yes, this is very much focused on the U.S. NFL fan base, but in no way is it limited to that. We know parents love to brag about their kids regardless of their sporting preference or location. If it spreads further, it will be based on the UGC and how it’s shared across social networks.

Where does the campaign go from here?

Well, this is just another piece that falls under the campaign umbrella  #BecauseFootball. Draft Day 2031 is our first digital content piece, but it won’t be the last. We know the summer is downtime for the NFL and their fans. We’ll be looking for new opportunities for Hyundai’s brand efforts come kickoff. It’s all about igniting and celebrating fan passion.

How daunting is it relying on crowd-sourced footage for the next stage in the campaign. Does it make it tough to strategize?’

I don’t know if I would say daunting, but, of course, making content that engages people is always a fun challenge. We’re really happy and excited about the results so far, and look forward to applying what we’ve learned to the next campaign. Our strategy is pretty simple—we want to make the NFL fan experience a better one. We know there are a lot of brands and sponsorships already in this space, so we’re focused on finding new authentic ways to do that. We’re not going to get into the ring with known networks like ESPN or CBS. Our goal is to find those niche areas that your typical sports fan hasn’t seen before.

Will there be more straight scripted episodes or will it mostly be responses?

As of now, we have no plans of extending the campaign beyond what we’ve already shot. It’s meant to highlight the NFL Draft and inspire fans to make their own videos. In short, now we just let everyone have fun with the UGC.

Other than this, what’s up next for you guys?

Hyundai is in year two of a four-year partnership with the NFL. We’re really excited to continue the #BecauseFootball campaign since it has a lot of legs, and can go in many different ways. We’re already gearing up for the kickoff this fall. As you can imagine, we’re having a lot of fun with it.