Rip City Runs Deep
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Art Direction
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
Rip City Runs Deep tells the story of Trail Blazers fandom; a living connection that unites generations, neighbors, strangers and friends. The fans, the city, the legacy, the team, are all a part of Rip City. When you're a part of Rip City, you're a part of something deeper.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
A primary pillar in the Rip City Runs Deep campaign is 'LIFT PDX'. Portland as a city has not yet bounced back from the very challenging COVID era; the Trail Blazers, as one of Portland's most prevalent companies, feel a responsibility to lift the community out of it's struggles by shining a light on the one-of-a-kind culture of it's 'Rip Citizens'.
Beginning with our Schedule Release video, in which various Portland Restaurants revealed key matchups alongside a unique menu item, the Blazers have continued to feature local businesses with player appearances and all-team events. By 'passing the mic' to the community with personal fan stories, ticket / TV / yard sign giveways allows the Trail Blazers to tell the story of the team and the unique bond it has with it's fan base.
Objective
Harness the connection that our fans have with our brand and our city to reignite passion and create meaningful entry points for our new fans centered around the Rip City identity, community and values.
Our roster had undergone a lot of shakeups over the previous few years. We wanted to remind fans that the team that they know and love is still here, as it's always been, despite the names on the court.
We aimed to celebrate and rep Portland, in a uniquely Portland way. With the hearts of the fans at the center of the game experience.
Strategy & Execution
Marketing & design developed a variety of original concepts to hit certain benchmarks: What sets Portland apart from every other city? How do we turn perceived challenges into strengths? How do we build on an existing trugh vs trying to manufacture something new?
The criteria became:
Create a slogan & campaign that is Unifying | Authentic | Unique | Inspiring
Reconnect fans to Rip City's legacy, connect the current team to the legacy and expand beyond our own channels.
Our customer insights team invited a select number of Trail Blazer season ticket holders and local social media influencers / bloggers to take part in a focus group, the goal of which was to narrow down which campaign slogans resonated with fans of different levels of fandom, age, how long they had lived locally, etc.
By identifying these Trail Blazer fan segmentations, clustered by varying perceptions and attitudes, we were able to see growth opportunities within these audiences. Collaborating with relevant social media influencers allowed the Trail Blazers to expand outside their existing channels to new audiences and tell authentic fan stories via community engagement and key partnerships.
Organizations
- Portland Trail Blazers
Credits
Billie Olson
Sr Director, Creative Services
Portland Trail Blazers
Koji Matsumoto
Director of Design & Brand Identity
Portland Trail Blazers
Celebrate in NYC
Join us for the 7th Annual Hashtag Sports Awards™ on the evening of June 24, 2025 as we celebrate finalists and reveal the winners of this year's awards live during the show.
