Minnesota Vikings ’Winter Whiteout’

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The Minnesota Vikings’ 2024 Winter Whiteout campaign was a fully integrated, multi-platform initiative designed to elevate a team tradition while driving engagement, merchandise sales, and community connection. Focused on three core objectives—selling white merch, building excitement around wearing white, and driving fan engagement—the campaign leveraged a combination of paid media, influencer partnerships, guerrilla marketing, digital activations, and an immersive gameday experience.

The campaign achieved record-breaking success, surpassing key goals: White merchandise sales reached 219% of the goal, 71% of stadium attendees wore white (+11% over the goal), and the SMS giveaway campaign engaged Gen Z and expanded the Vikings’ database to 167% of the goal.

Collaborations with artists, influencers, and major brand partners reinforced the Winter Whiteout’s impact, culminating in a visually stunning and fan-driven experience at U.S. Bank Stadium. The campaign’s integration of social, digital, and in-person activations set a new benchmark for immersive fan engagement.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The 2024 Winter Whiteout campaign embodies Excellence in Engagement by redefining fan interaction through an immersive, multi-touchpoint strategy. It set new benchmarks in sports marketing by:

Transforming fan participation—elevating a single-game event into a season-defining spectacle that engaged attendees pre-game, in-stadium, and beyond.

Pioneering community-driven storytelling—leveraging guerrilla marketing, influencer content, and university partnerships to foster localized, authentic engagement.

Maximizing multi-platform reach—seamlessly integrating social, paid, and traditional media to extend awareness beyond game day.

Innovating through partnerships—activating brands like Caribou Coffee, Pepsi, and UNRL to provide experiential touchpoints, scholarships, and exclusive prizes via SMS, strengthening both engagement and brand affinity.

This campaign raises the bar for fan engagement by proving that blending digital, physical, and experiential elements can turn a moment into a movement. It serves as a blueprint for the industry, showcasing how immersive storytelling and integrated activations can drive deeper connections, long-term loyalty, and tangible business impact.

This level of innovation will inspire the future of fan engagement, pushing teams and brands to move beyond passive promotions and create interactive, emotionally resonant experiences that build lasting fan relationships.

Objective

The 2024 Winter Whiteout campaign was created to strengthen an emerging Vikings tradition while delivering key business outcomes in fan engagement, merchandise revenue, and database growth. The three core objectives were:

1. Maximize White Merch Sales: Drive demand for Winter Whiteout merchandise, ensuring accessibility across various price points and appealing to a wide range of fans, including Gen Z.

2. Advance the Winter Whiteout Tradition: Creating an immersive stadium experience with fans wearing white, rally towels, stadium branding, and themed game elements.

3. Engage Gen Z and Build the Database: The 10 Days of Giveaways SMS campaign was designed to increase opt-ins among young fans, using exclusive prizes and interactive engagement.

The campaign utilized a multi-channel marketing approach—blending digital, social, influencer, out-of-home, and retail activations to ensure maximum reach. A special guerrilla campaign hid 200 mini helmets around the Twin Cities, driving local engagement. Strategic partnerships, including Caribou Coffee’s campus giveaways and artist collaborations, added authenticity and excitement to the initiative.

Strategy & Execution

1. Pre-Promotion & Hype-Building
* Multi-channel marketing campaign, including paid social ads, web ads (geofencing U.S. Bank Stadium), streaming, billboards, and retail activations.
* Player and influencer amplification, with custom "Wear White" graphics for players and influencers receiving merch to promote the campaign (2.9M+ reach).
* Exclusive artist collaborations, featuring an apparel designer, illustrator, and painter, who created unique Winter Whiteout-inspired pieces to elevate the campaign’s cultural impact.
* 10 Days of Giveaways SMS campaign, driving fan engagement and database growth with exclusive prizes and gameday perks.
* Guerrilla marketing stunt: 200 Winter Whiteout mini helmets and game tickets hidden around the Twin Cities, sparking excitement and local buzz.

2. Merchandising & Community Activation
* Themed product collaborations, including a co-branded Winter Whiteout merch line.
* Caribou Coffee x Vikings partnership on college campuses, offering free coffee and scholarships to students making an impact.

3. Gameday Experience
* U.S. Bank Stadium transformed into an all-white spectacle.
* Custom white rally towels, field paint, cheer uniforms, and winter-themed graphics.
* Themed halftime show featuring Vanilla Ice performing "Ice Ice Baby."
* Unique partner activations: Pepsi’s commemorative paper helmets and Pendleton Whisky’s ice bar.

This fully integrated approach ensured fan participation, merchandising, and branding worked seamlessly to deliver an unforgettable Winter Whiteout experience.

Organizations

• Minnesota Vikings

Links

•   Website

Credits

Jacqueline Ramacher
Art Manager
Minnesota Vikings

Alicia Dreyer
Creative Director, Brand & Design
Minnesota Vikings

Bryan Harper
Vice President, Content & Production
Minnesota Vikings

Martin Nance
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Minnesota Vikings

Elizabeth Douglas
Design Manager
Minnesota Vikings

Alex Miller
Video Producer
Minnesota Vikings

Allan Wertheimer
Senior Director, Production Operations
Minnesota Vikings

Ashley Harris
Graphic Designer and Marketing Photographer
Minnesota Vikings

Brianna Yang
Minnesota Vikings
Email & Digital Marketing Coordinator

Davis Pruett
Motion Graphics Designer
Minnesota Vikings

Arthur Kuh
Manager, Game & Event Creative
Minnesota Vikings

Laney Austin
Senior Manager, Social Media & Email
Minnesota Vikings

Jordan Ramsey
Senior Manager, Partner Experience & Special Projects
Minnesota Vikings

Bethel Biniam
Creative Project Coordinator
Minnesota Vikings

Brandon Clemens
Director, Experiential & Youth Marketing
Minnesota Vikings

Brooke Beuthling
Business Data Analyst
Minnesota Vikings

Kim Ippolito
Digital Marketing & Media Manager
Minnesota Vikings

Katrina Jaeger
Senior Partnerships & Brand Experience
Minnesota Vikings

Vanessa Reid
Senior Director Guest and Premium Experience
Minnesota Vikings

Amy Anthony
Director of Events & Hospitality
Minnesota Vikings

Will Sheedy
Cinematographer
Minnesota Vikings

Amy Thomas
Manager, Merchandise & Retail Experiences
Minnesota Vikings

Lauren Pinter
Senior Manager, Game and Event Entertainment
Minnesota Vikings

Meaghan Fors
Innovation Strategy Manager
Minnesota Vikings

Kristin Mathis
Partnership Strategy and Activation Coordinator
Minnesota Vikings

Erika Frid
Manager, Partnership Activation
Minnesota Vikings

Nate Swenson
Senior Manager, Partnership Activation
Minnesota Vikings

Alexandra Moreno
Graphic Design Associate
Minnesota Vikings

John Paul Nguyen
Graphic Design Associate
Minnesota Vikings