Campaign: Star Wars Night
Objective
One of the main ways sports teams drum up ticket sales is by putting on theme nights. Whether it’s based on nationality, a pop culture franchise, or even Jimmy Buffet, these nights are often the most anticipated and attended of the season.
In 2019, the San Jose Sharks were hosting a Star Wars Night - a theme night they had done before and was immensely popular. As Digital Content Program Manager, it was my job to bring the theme night alive on social, not just in arena.
Process
First was the research. I combed through IMDb, Wookieepedia, and Reddit for references and ideas that could be useful for the day’s coverage; I wanted it to be a whole day of Star Wars, not just during the game.
Putting my pun game to work, I came up with a Star Wars nickname for every single player on the roster.
I also worked with our graphic designers on bringing the night to life through our suite of Gameday graphics, sourcing backgrounds and mocking up parody logos.
Finally, I rewatched most of the movies and some of the Mandalorian, a sacrifice I was willing to make.
Execution
Using the several weeks of design prep and research, I was ready to go on gameday, armed with a full page of references and graphics that were equally Sharks and Star Wars related. We had standardized a lightsaber effect to put on hockey sticks in Photoshop, and I got one of the graphic designers to sit up in the press box with me during the game to create graphics on the fly.
I was able to reference my compilation of quotes, names, and places so that every single piece of copy posted that day was some sort of Star Wars reference or paraphrased quote.
Results
The night was well-received on social media; one of the posts that our graphic designer made on the fly ended up with the highest engagement of the season. The team also held onto our crown of “best theme nights in the league,” which is one of those wins to hold onto during a season where the team misses the playoffs (as was the case in the truncated 2019-20 season).
