DeMar DeRozan: King of the Fourth

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

DeMar DeRozan exploded for a historic run of scoring performances after joining the Chicago Bulls earning him two NBA All-Star selections—the Bulls first Playoff appearance since 2017—and the nickname of "King of the Fourth".

This project encapsulates each of DeMar's historic moments from the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, captured through the lens of the Bulls photographers, edited in real-time on mobile devices, and distributed through Bulls publishing platforms to facilitate fans engagement and an opportunity to re-live iconic moments of the future Hall of Famer's career.

How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?

The consistency of capturing the full moment—the faces of the players, the visual of the clock, the gaping and excited faces of the crowd—all add integral context to the photos. Combined with the speed and system of publishing in real-time, images captured by our team are forever ingrained in the lasting memories of these fleeting moments.

The team is the first to share content about iconic moments, as opposed to a media outlet, this is a new development for our team and has made a significant impact on how we engage with and how fans view our channels as the primary source for exclusive Bulls content.

The team strived to capture DeMar's iconic moments using natural light and by placing themselves in unexpected spots around the arenas, instead of the same under-the-basket photo angles fans are used to seeing. The different angles show the value of taking a different approach to something that's been shot thousands of times—Bulls game action.

Our ability to edit through mobile devices on the spot and send images for publishing within seconds of the moment ensures our content is the first fan's turn to re-live it. Our content is high-quality and encapsulates each moment for fans in real-time, which is needed to break through the noise of today's content environment.

Objective

One of our key social media strategies is to create innovative content that captures moments and stories in an authentic way to honor the iconic history of the brand and create content fans across the globe can't find anywhere else. Every game is played in front of thousands of people—our challenge is to present the world with angles and perspectives nobody else sees.

DeMar DeRozan came to the Bulls in 2021 and proceeded to go on a run that catapulted him into the All-Star and MVP conversations. As the Bulls' content team, we wanted to capitalize on and celebrate these moments through visual storytelling, freezing each moment in time with photography shot, edited, and distributed within seconds.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, our aim is to ensure that the Bulls start the conversation as the primary way for fans to experience DeMar's iconic moments through high-quality, unique photography, deviating from more traditional sports outlets and content.

Strategy & Execution

There are two important parts of storytelling through photography: the actual taking and editing of the photos, and the distribution and storytelling that comes with releasing them to the world.

The Bulls photographers work to capture memorable moments and game action through various locations around the arena, maintaining authenticity and reflecting the fan's point of view during the game.

The speed at which we edit content on-site via our mobile devices allows us to post across our platforms soon after an event, ensuring fans re-live the moment first through the Bulls' channels.

Through this strategy, Bulls photography and social content remain at the forefront of conversations about each high point in DeMar's career.

We also provide photos and content directly to our players for them to post across their own social media platforms.

A team sharing is powerful in itself, but players using their own voice ensures the shots taken by the Bulls team are the primary way these moments are captured and remembered.

Organizations

• Chicago Bulls

Credits

Bill Smith
Team Photographer
Chicago Bulls

Joe Pinchin
Sr. Manager, Digital Content
Chicago Bulls

Nikko Tan
Manager, Digital Content
Chicago Bulls

Jimmy Mitchell
Manager, Content Design
Chicago Bulls