Developed by creative agency Orchard, the action-packed campaign dramatizes the feeling of searching for, and finally finding, the card of your dreams, via a full-blown, action-packed, cinematic pursuit. Starring Arena Club co-founder Derek Jeter, with guest spots by Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow and newly-minted Miami Heat superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, each of the spots include fast cuts, surprise turns, and easter eggs for true fans. But unlike the typical celebrity-for-celebrity’s sake approach so commonly used in today’s Super Bowl-sized spots, the sports stars’ roles in “The Chase” are deeply tied to the product being promoted—and what makes collecting with Arena Club so exciting for sports fans.
“In ‘The Chase,’ Derek Jeter is spotted by a to-be-revealed card collector. Once he clocks the Hall of Famer, he takes off through town, pushing carts, cutting through kitchens, before skidding to a stop when he finally catches up to him in a restaurant. At the same moment, Giannis is spotted by another frenzied collector, and the spot ends with that collector laying eyes on Joe Burrow.
The campaign will run nationally across TV/OLV. It builds on Arena Club’s wider brand storytelling efforts, which have consistently featured recognizable names, athletes, media personalities, and more recently, micro-influencers, chosen specifically for their credibility in the collecting space, not celebrity for celebrity’s sake.
“Every collector knows the feeling of the chase, the anticipation, the discovery and the possibility that the next pack could hold something incredible,” said Brian Lee, Arena Club CEO and co-founder. “Bringing Derek, Giannis and Joe together felt like the perfect way to bring that feeling to life. They represent three different sports and three different fan bases, but that excitement is universal. That’s what Arena Club is all about: bringing collectors together and giving sports fans everywhere something exciting to chase.”
“Every collector has a card they’d go to the ends of the earth to get,” said David Kolbusz, Chief Creative Officer at Orchard. “‘The Chase’ takes that impulse and runs with it. Getting sports icons like Derek, Joe, and Giannis to volunteer their services as objects of fan obsession made it possible to tell a story that brings to life the feeling of the Arena Club experience. Anyone who’s ever chased a card – or any other grail for that matter – is going to recognize exactly what’s driving it.”
