4EVER Kevin Harvick
The 6th Annual Awards
- Best Life or Legacy Tribute
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
NASCAR legend and future hall of famer Kevin Harvick announced his retirement from full-time racing at the beginning of 2023. Throughout the season, Stewart-Haas Racing honored Harvick for the racer and person he is through a robust campaign with the platform "4EVER".
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
When we set out at the start of 2023, we wanted to do Kevin’s story and career justice and help fans understand all sides of their favorite driver. We did that, but we also created one of the most robust retirement social media campaigns the sports world has seen. Our 4EVER campaign proved that moments like this in sports are opportunities for deep storytelling and for teams to strengthen their relationships with fans. We firmly believe our cohesive retirement platform sets the bar for future retirement campaigns.
Objective
In January 2023, Kevin Harvick, driver of the No. 4 in the NASCAR Cup Series, announced he would be retiring at the end of the season. Harvick had been our flagship driver at Stewart-Haas Racing, amassing 60 Cup Series wins (10th on the all-time win list) and the 2014 NASCAR Cup Series Championship. But it’s more than Harvick’s performance that makes him special.
Harvick came into the sport in unfathomable circumstances, climbing in Dale Earnhardt Sr’s car after he tragically passed away in the 2001 Daytona 500. Harvick took on pressure most people wouldn’t — but he didn’t just take it on; he honored Earnhardt respectfully, helped heal a fanbase, and created his own legacy.
Harvick became one of NASCAR’s greatest drivers because of his start after Dale Sr passed, his quick success, and his fiery attitude. Harvick was unapologetically himself, even in the toughest circumstances. The future Hall of Famer has a once-in-a-lifetime story.
Because of Harvick’s contribution to our organization and the sport, we wanted to create a retirement platform that would:
- Honor Harvick’s legacy
- Allow fans to see a different side of Harvick
- Seamlessly allow anyone to rally around, from partners to racetracks to fans
Strategy & Execution
Since Harvick’s career transcended wins, we wanted to ensure we had a platform for the season to celebrate him and give closure to fans. With him driving the No. 4 car, we landed on #4EVER as our platform with this idea:
Through it all, Kevin Harvick has been critical to our DNA. His edge. His desire to win. His unapologetic attitude. He 4EVER changed our team and sport.
We met with Harvick and his team to get buy-in before executing. From there, there were three keys to our approach:
First, identify themes. We picked weekly themes to go beyond the racer. Examples of themes are 4EVER A Champion, 4EVER Dad, 4EVER Friends, 4EVER A Prankster, etc. Each theme was supported with graphics, videos, etc.
Second, tell his story through the voices of others. We took a unique approach by focusing on his entire story and not just his chapter at our organization. Many voices contributed to our campaign from outside including Dale Earndhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Richard Petty, Jeff Gordon, and more.
Third, surrounded with varying content. We wanted a robust campaign. Ultimately, we published more than 1,200 posts with content franchises like long-form series, short interviews, graphics and more.
Organizations
- Stewart-Haas Racing
- Fox Hammer
Links
Featured
- Kevin Harvick
Credits
Jess Smith
Vice President, Digital and Brand Strateg
Stewart-Haas Racing
Jacob Daniel
Video Producer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Hannah Gentlesk
Social Media Manager
Stewart-Haas Racing
Jarret Inesedy
Video Producer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Derek Lynn
Senior Designer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Justin Potter
Team Photographer
Stewart-Haas Racing
Bradley Sisson
Manager, Graphic Design
Stewart-Haas Racing
Abby Witt
Senior Manager, Brand
Stewart-Haas Racing
Kelly Cotten
Director of Sponsor Relations
KHI Management
Josh Paytner
Creative Director
Fox Hammer Media
Sam Sieger
Creative Director
Fox Hammer Media
Jayme Avrit
Senior Director, Partnership Marketing
Stewart-Haas Racing
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Join us for the 6th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 6, 2024 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
