THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Auto See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Beauty See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Business to Business See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Consumer Brand See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Education See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Entertainment See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Financial Services See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Fitness, Health, & Wellness
<br>See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Food & Beverage
See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Gaming See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Government & Politics See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Hospitality See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Insurance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Live Events See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> News & Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Non-Profit See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pets & Animals See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Pharma & Healthcare See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Estate See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Restaurants See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Retail & E-Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Activism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Sports See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Television See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Travel & Tourism See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Wine, Beer & Spirits

Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

Buccaneers Brand Identity Refresh

Finalist in Brand Identity

Objective

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers embarked on a bold brand identity refresh with a clear mission: to articulate the team’s role as the flag-bearer of Tampa Bay while driving the next generation of NFL culture through photography and design. This initiative aimed to create a visual identity that felt deeply authentic to Tampa Bay, resonated with the Krewe, and set a new standard for digital and social media engagement within the NFL. 

We sought to move beyond conventional team branding, evolving our look to reflect the energy, grit, and cultural depth of our city and fanbase. By integrating dynamic photography, a modernized design system, and immersive storytelling elements, we ensured that every visual—whether on social media, in-stadium, or across digital platforms—reinforced our unique identity. 

Strategy

To execute this vision, we established key design principles: 

  1. Authenticity to Tampa Bay – We leveraged the city’s diverse culture, vibrant landscapes, and historic influences, ensuring our content reflected the region’s unique character. 

  1. Bold, Elevated Aesthetic – Through striking visuals, layered textures, and a cinematic approach to photography, we created a design system that felt both modern and timeless. 

  1. Seamless Integration Across Platforms – Our approach ensured cohesion across social media, website, in-stadium graphics, and beyond, creating a unified look that reinforced brand recognition. 

  1. Emotional and Action-Driven Storytelling – We focused on evoking emotion through design—whether highlighting game-day intensity, player journeys, or the passion of the Krewe. 

The execution of this strategy was particularly evident in the redesign of our digital and social media assets. We introduced: 

One of the biggest challenges was ensuring our refreshed identity authentically represented Tampa Bay while diversifying the approach. Given the volume of content we produce, it was crucial to find multiple, fresh ways to showcase the Bay. To achieve this, we sourced inspiration from various elements across the city, including architecture, cultural landmarks, and natural landscapes, ensuring that our visuals remained dynamic and ever-evolving. Many teams have regional branding, but we wanted to go beyond generic imagery. To accomplish this, we scouted and photographed architectural elements from key locations across the city—historic buildings, murals, and cultural landmarks—to create a library of visuals that would inform our design system. This approach ensured our content wasn’t just inspired by Tampa Bay but was genuinely built from its visual and cultural DNA. 

Results

The brand identity refresh delivered measurable impact across all digital and social platforms: 

By successfully blending tradition with innovation, we transformed how the Buccaneers are perceived—not just as a football team, but as the flag-bearer for Tampa Bay.  

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Links

Entry Credits