--- title: The Heist IST CG Social Activation | 6th Hashtag Sports Awards description: Global awards recognizing excellence in fan engagement and celebrating creativity across sports marketing, media & entertainment image: https://www.hashtagsports.com/hubfs/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heiest-cgi.webp --- The Heist IST CG Social Activation | 6th Hashtag Sports Awards # The Heist IST CG Social Activation [Translation](https://www.translationllc.com/) The 6th Annual Awards Nominee ✨ - Best Event or Experiential Campaign - Best New Fan Experience - Best Use of Animation or Motion Graphics ![Image](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heiest-cgi.webp?width=1920&height=1080&name=the-heiest-cgi.webp) Share [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heist-ist-cg-social-activation#) [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heist-ist-cg-social-activation#) [** ](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heist-ist-cg-social-activation#) ABOUT THIS ENTRY In the 2023-2024 season, the NBA introduced the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament to increase early season viewership and engagement. Tournament games started at each team’s home courts throughout the month of November, and then culminated in spectacular showdowns in Las Vegas for the semi-finals and championship games. With a brand new tournament taking place in a city without a local NBA team, the league needed to ensure that the marketing efforts would drive conversation and excitement for the inaugural In-Season Tournament games in Las Vegas. To capture the world’s attention, we set out to achieve a level of bewilderment that could exceed the bright lights of Las Vegas. Four CGI videos posted from various social accounts—from a larger than life championship trophy on The Strip, to a basketball hoop on top of The Strat—blended reality at the league’s will to give the impression of a complete city takeover. ![Image](https://www.hashtagsports.com/hs-fs/hubfs/awards/shortlist-2024/the-heiest-cgi.webp?width=1920&height=1080&name=the-heiest-cgi.webp) How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”? This campaign set a new bar for the coordination of technology, social media, and comms planning. With a limited budget, lack of player involvement, and a desire to attract global attention, we had to get crafty in our execution to achieve league goals. Leaning into fan behavior and the natural tendency to share unbelievable highlights seen on social media translated perfectly into an execution that showed fans almost unbelievable marketing for the In-Season Tournament. Objective This being the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament brought together a very clear objective for our work – conversation. The league needed people talking about the In-Season Tournament so that they could convert that conversation into hype and eyeballs on the games themselves. Strategy & Execution Understanding that the modern sports fan is one of the most active audiences on social media, the core strategy of this campaign was to get fans talking by creating ambiguity. While the straightforward approach would be to cover Vegas in out-of-home advertisements, our campaign sought the use of CGI to balance realism and create on-the-ground content from the perspective of a fan that would get viewers questioning if it was real or not. We accomplished the ambiguity through four CGI videos: - An In-Season Tournament inflatable basketball on top of the Paris Balloon - An In-Season Tournament basketball spinning on the finger of New York, New York’s Lady Liberty - An enormous basketball hoop on top of The Strat Tower - A “wide load” In-Season Tournament trophy arriving to The Strip Then, to add to the ambiguity of our content’s realism, we coordinated the rollout of each CGI video to come from individuals, rather than the league. **Organizations** - Translation - NBA - JIMMY x SuperHeroes **Links** - [  Website](https://www.nba.com/in-season-tournament/2023) **Featured** - Richard Jefferson - Shaquille O’Neal - Stephen A. Smith - Tristan Jass **Credits** **[Deidre Hering](https://www.linkedin.com/in/deirdre-dee-hering-49196a77/)** Senior Copywriter Translation LLC **[Jen Wang](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-wang-70302b82/)** Senior Art Director Translation **[nuderobot JIMMY](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/www.thatsjimmy.com?hsLang=en)** Artist JIMMY x SuperHeroes **[Ghost3Deem JIMMY](https://www.hashtagsports.com/awards/shortlist-2024/www.thatsjimmy.com?hsLang=en)** Artist JIMMY x SuperHeroes **[Mina Mikhael](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Group Creative Director Translation **[Steve Horn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Group Creative Director Translation **[Tammy Henault](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Chief Marketing Officer National Basketball Association **[Kara Dean](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Associate Vice President, Partner Marketing National Basketball Association **[Alex Gerson](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Associate Vice President, Global Fan Marketing National Basketball Association **[Alaina Williams](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Associate Vice President, Global Fan Marketing NBA **[Natalie Martinez](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Global Fan Marketing Strategy Lead National Basketball Association **[David Mintz](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Group Account Director Translation **[Taylor West](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Account Director Translation **[Laura Palacino](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Senior Account Executive Translation **[Sophie Sharma](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Account Executive Translation **[Alex Glaum](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Context Director Translation **[Evan Auerbach](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Context Planner Translation **[Johnny Toliver IV](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Context Planner Translation **[Jenny Whitlock](https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-palacino-b30374136/)** Senior Vice President, Head of Global Fan Marketing National Basketball Association #### Celebrate in NYC 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.   [![RESERVE SEATS](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/834568/c79439a7-e53f-4aa9-9d60-2b68caf80d89.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/834568/c79439a7-e53f-4aa9-9d60-2b68caf80d89)