Top Rank Boxing - Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko Event Announcement
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Art Direction
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
We are submitting the event poster for the Lightweight Undisputed title fight of Devin Haney vs Vasiliy Lomachenko. This design took heavy inspiration from the chess, The Game of Kings.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
The creative campaign for the Devin ”The Dream” Haney vs. Vasiliy Lomachenko showdown not only promoted a highly anticipated boxing event but also emerged as a trailblazer in design. Faced with the challenge of marketing fighters who weren’t known for knockout power, the campaign ingeniously leveraged the theme of a chess board to capture excitement and appeal to a broader audience.
The results speak volumes about the success of this innovative approach. The announcement, featuring the animation and poster, garnered a staggering 7,400,000 million impressions, making it the second-largest event announcement on Top Rank’s social media platforms. The campaign not only exceeded expectations in terms of reach but also generated overwhelmingly positive fan sentiment, dispelling initial concerns about the perceived dullness of chess. This creative endeavor stands as a testament to the power of strategic design in capturing attention and elevating the promotion of sporting events to new heights.
Objective
The creative campaign was designed to strategically announce and promote the highly anticipated showdown between Devin ”The Dream” Haney and Vasiliy Lomachenko, as they vied for the Undisputed lightweight crown. With an event of this magnitude, we were challenged with creating a spark—something to jump start a campaign for the most prestigious title in boxing.
The challenge? While both fighters were respected amongst boxing fans, they lacked the flash that certain other matchups had. While Devin Haney was quickly becoming one of the best fighters in the sport and Vasiliy Lomachenko had held that distinction for close to a decade, neither were power punchers that could draw in fans with a single shot.
So the challenge of the creative became, how do we still capture excitement that translates to a more casual audience? How do we still convey that this a must-watch fight?
Strategy & Execution
Top Rank’s creative approach for the Haney vs. Lomachenko fight aimed to capture the precision and calculated nature of the fighters’ striking abilities by drawing parallels to chess. The concept, long contemplated within Top Rank offices, finally found the right moment with these two fighters. These two men aren’t knockout artists—they are tacticians who dominate their fights by knowing what their opponent is going to do—just as the great chess players do.
The strategy involved meticulously designing every aspect, starting from photo shoots that mirrored chess poses with the athletes. The creative agency crafted a hybrid of boxing and chess, featuring a board surrounded by gold ropes, symbolizing the significance of the battle.
Simultaneously, the content team challenged the creative team to create a 3D chess animation to unveil the fight. This ambitious concept illustrated the career moves of each fighter, culminating in a climactic showdown on the chessboard. As the kings traversed the board, they strategically eliminated pawns, each representing a former opponents. The result showcased the tactical mastery of the fighters, emphasizing their strategic dominance rather than relying on knockout power.
Organizations
- Top Rank
- Focalscape
Links
Credits
Todd duBoef
President
Top Rank Boxing
Geoff Greenwood
Creative Director
FocalScape Inc
Adrienne Humphreys
Operations Director
FocalScape Inc
Morgan Dewan
Chief Brand Officer
Top Rank Boxing
Jason Tang
Head of Content Operations
Top Rank Boxing
Mikey Williams
Head of Photography
Top Rank Boxing
Joe Setley
Head of Content Strategy
Top Rank Boxing
Alex Adeyanju
Head of Production
Top Rank Boxing
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