State Farm® wanted to surprise WNBA fans who were already excited to meet Jake from State Farm with an even bigger surprise: A photo bomb from the biggest athlete of the year… Caitlin Clark. In a dual effort to create an unforgettable moment for fans on the ground, and create a viral moment for State Farm online, we counted on fans to post their reactions on social channels—ultimately generating brand engagement, garnering earned media and creating positive sentiment within the WNBA community for State Farm.
The strategy was simple: Capture that moment of surprise on camera and let fans, and the internet, do the rest! I mean… If you didn’t post it, did it even happen?
But this execution started far before any photo bombs. In 2023, recognizing that her greatness would surpass expectations across multiple generations, State Farm signed Caitlin Clark without hesitation, and became one of the first brands to sign a college athlete once NIL deals were green lit; enshrining her as the first college athlete on team State Farm.
After months of featuring Caitlin in our campaign across all channels during NCAA, WNBA and NBA basketball programming, we decided to leverage the 2024 WNBA All-Star Weekend for a “Surprise & Delight” photo opportunity with Jake from State Farm and Caitlin Clark.
This is where the idea came to life, and fans’ faces started lighting up. In Phoenix, Arizona, strategically located close to all WNBA All-Star activities, we created a pop-up space where fans would create life-long memories.
First, we needed to promote the pop-up with a Jake from State Farm “Meet & Greet,” so we could get fans into the space. We created a “teaser” video from Jake from State Farm, letting people know on social that he would be in town; providing details to come and see him that weekend.
Additionally, two days before the event, we sent a digital billboard truck to popular destinations all around the Phoenix and Scottsdale areas. The promotion included an announcement that Jake would be in town along with a scannable QR code providing directions to the pop-up space.
On event day, we sent Jake to the scorching streets of Phoenix to ask fans gearing up for the WNBA All-Star events to tell us what they love about Caitlin, basketball and supporting women’s sports overall. Little did they know, all of these questions were leading to a big surprise later that day.
In real time, fans started arriving at the indoor pop-up space, even considering the extremely warm temperatures of Phoenix in the summer, just to come meet and take a picture with Jake from State Farm. Of course, they never expected what happened next – a photo bomb from the biggest 2024 college athlete and WNBA Rookie of the Year, Caitlin Clark, who was patiently waiting in the wings.
For the duration of the pop-up we set-up a camera crew and used professional photographers to capture the moment so fans wouldn’t only leave with a lasting memory of their surprise & delight with Jake from State Farm and Caitlin Clark, but something to share online, too.
WNBA fans thought our photo bomb surprise was thebomb.com (pun intended). And even cooler, the Internet loved it more… With fans delivering on our expectations by sharing, commenting and engaging online— reaching over two million people!
Through this swift and simple activation, we achieved our goal to create a viral moment and an unforgettable experience for Jake from State Farm and Caitlin fans. Afterall, an idea that starts in the heart will always travel up to smiles, and these results speak to how a simple surprise can provide an unmeasurable amount of positive brand sentiment. Just remember, pics or it didn’t happen.
