WE TURN STORIES INTO STRATEGIES.

Challenge:

In 2021, Hibbett Sports x Nike desired to tell stories that are more inclusive to their women's audience, told by people who look like their consumer. Wanting to ensure that this remained true through each segment of the storytelling, the brand made it imperative that every person working on the project identified as female; this included the agency team.

Approach:

The relationship resulted in a 2021 web series geared towards Gen Z women entitled “Support Her Sole,” the first content series in sneaker storytelling that was produced with full-female identifying brand teams, agency teams, and post-production teams. 

Following True to Size's acclaimed "Check the Fit" model, Jazerai Allen-Lord led Creative Direction and production on the project, completing four remote shoots, and an in-store shoot within a one-month timeline. 

Result:

The two-episode series was the first of it’s kind, garnishing multiple press mentions and organic impressions, including Yahoo, and Nice Kicks. The relationship resulted in a 2021 web series geared towards Gen Z women entitled “Support Her Sole,” the first content series in sneaker storytelling that was produced with full-female identifying brand teams, agency teams, and post-production teams. As a follow up to the series, TTS led a Paid Advertising campaign; “Holiday Her Way.”

Challenge:

In 2019, New Balance entered into their first year as a title sponsor for espnW Women’s Summit, located at The Pelican Resort in beautiful Orange County, California. As part of this experience, a gifting experience and brand moment needed to be presented in the Welcome Suite, introducing the brand’s presence while engaging the attendees in a gifting experience worth remembering.   

Since then, TTS has been the production partner for the Gifting Suite, overseeing creative direction, fabrication, strategy, staffing and production on the branded activation. 

Approach:

Interactive, heartfelt moments have been the cornerstone of the design inspiration over the years, with TTS partnering with Crozier Studios on fabrication and environmental design. Our goal is always to create a unique consumer journey that simultaneously captures sentiment. This often includes a custom installation, as shown in the images here. 

Result:

The ultimate win of the Gifting Suite is always the consumer experience, called out as a highlight by both clients and Summit attendees. A six-piece New Balance outfit is gifted to over 400 women at each summit, with the Welcome Suite enabling a hands-on experience with a wide variety of products, while sustaining minimal wait times. In 2021, the Covid-19 safe experience was executed flawlsessly, and we are excited to return for 2022.

Challenge:

In 2020, Janie’s Fund was on the hunt for a nimble agency who was focused on women’s storytelling, to help redevelop their digital strategy and social media presence. Since then, the engagement has grown to encompass their total brand strategy, as well as GRAMMY Gala on-site production, and influencer and brand partnerships. 

Approach:

The key to expanding the brand's reach and creating meaningful Gen Z connections was in distilling the essence of Steven Tyler from the brand DNA, creating a brand voice, and using that as the guardrails to creating new like-minded relationships, partners & allies. 

Result:

In year one of taking over the account, we have seen a 151% increase in impressions, 285% increase in engagement and 532% increase in brand awareness. In 2022, we currently hold the AOR for the brand. 

Challenge:

In 2020, New Balance launched their inaugural Black History Month Collection, designed by a cross-sectional African-American Product Team and NBA All-Star, Kawhi Leonard. To launch the “Inspire the Dream” Campaign, they enlisted TTS to strategize & produce an event, with the goal of celebrating Kawhi Leonard’s product, career and the community he came from.

Approach:

The body of the BHM Collection was inspired by Leonard’s LA County High School, so it was important for our team to bring the event home. TTS partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of Mar Vista Gardens, an underserved community in Los Angeles with over 300 youth members. The afterschool event was named Dream Day, focused on continuing the mission of the African American Product Team, to provide representation and education for young POC, inspiring them to create & live their own dreams. 

Result:

Over 230 youth members participated in Dream Day, which kicked off with an interactive banner moment, encouraging kids to name & claim their dream. From there, they received a limited edition gift pack from New Balance, before heading out to After’s Ice Cream Bar. We color-matched three custom flavors to the “Inspire the Dream” Collection, serving New Balance branded Milky Buns to the crowd. A frenzy of inflatable sports activities covered the field, accompanied by the sounds of LA’s own 92.3 dj, DJHed. 

We closed the evening with an intimate Q&A with Kawhi Leonard, who was on-site to engage and answer questions from the youth members of the BGC.

Challenge:

Following a handful of strategic partnerships with Jazerai Allen-Lord, Reebok Classics invited TTS to HQ for a candid discussion on making Reebok more inclusive and reflective of who the brand truly is, and who it’s female consumers are - across the globe. This internal workshop included women across multiple departments within the organization, and led to the concept of a pack of women-designed sneakers which celebrated women who “do the work” behind the scenes.

Approach:

TTS provided Reebok with directional talent for the campaign, omitting traditional campaign casting and instead leaning into the authentic connections and untold stories of women who in Jazerai’s network. Jazerai then went on to design her own unisex Club C 85 for the IAMW Pack, including sizing and design notes to create solutions. 

Result:

The IAMW collection launched in September 2019, with Jaz’s Club C leading the charge and selling out in multiple sizes in under 24 hours. The story behind this campaign and shoe launch was told in You Ain’t Got These, a Lena Waithe produced documentary on Quibi. The shoes will also be displayed in the London Design Museum.

Challenge:

TTS aimed to celebrate the launch of Jazerai Allen-Lord’s collaboration with Reebok with a spirit of intention. Instead of following the traditional sneaker-launch party model, TTS worked with Experience Director, Dawn Martin, on creating an immersive event that not only celebrated the storytelling of the Reebok product but continued the impact it created for women as well.

Approach:

The overarching goal was to allow attendees the ability to preview the shoe before it’s release and allow for an intimate space for gifting. The direct intention of TTS was much greater, bringing it brand partners who were either women or POC, amplifying the marginalize voices that Jazerai created the product for.

Result:

From the Impact Card Wishing Tree to the hand-painted letter from Jazerai staged in the floral gifting suite, each touchstone at the event garnered an emotional experience, honoring the strength and lineage of Jazerai’s journey and the core of her work in D&I.

Challenge:

Fresh Foam is awesome. It’s a highly scientific material that gives runners a comfortable and high-quality run. But how do you tell a story about material that actually engages and captures the emotional attention of a retail shopper?

Approach:

We explored and designed an interactive retail storytelling display for New Balance’s global retail, sized for their flagships and for their smaller doors. Stations along a rainbow, soft flooring explained the science behind fresh foam, and interactive elements helped give shoppers a tactical feel for the shoes. We finished it off with a branded try on area and photo moment.

Result:

Stores in key markets of North America, Europe, and Asia all executed this design, resulting a beautiful, unified global store display and a fantastic try on experience. The eye-catching design did not utilize window advertisements, instead leaving store windows open for customers to be invited into a whimsical experience.

Challenge:

New Balance wanted to tell a heart-pumping story for the 2019 NYC Marathon that was equally as diverse and inclusive as the participants of the iconic race. Overjoyed with how our engagement went the previous year, New Balance doubled down on Mile 16.

Approach:

TTS aimed to spotlight partners, talent & designers that were reflective of the untold stories of marginalized groups in NYC, so we sought out musicians & dancers based in different boroughs to create an authentic storyline. Using Musical Director Eddie III’s expertise, we created a programmed NYC-themed musical experience that blended each of their styles for the NYC Marathon.

Result:

In 2018, our insight was that a live band would galvanize even the most exhausted runner to push through the second half of the race. The truth exceeded our expectations, as runners consistently stopped to dance, chat, slap hands and film the drum line. In 2019, TTS upped the ante by including two all-female bands, the Brass Queens, and Fogo Azul, Brooklyn United, a predominantly black drum line age 5-18, the Sapphire DanceLine, an award-winning majorette team made up of young women of color from Uptown and DJ Cory Townes, the son of DJ Jazzy Jeff. Participants were dressed in a custom New Balance uniform designed by TTS, with a handmade, marching band cap. New Balance sneakers were also provided, accenting the beautifully custom-wrapped New Balance drums.

Challenge:

Whether traveling from the next borough or across the globe, marathoners find their magic in NYC. As home to one of the most prestigious running events in the world, the energy of the city is used as both fuel & inspiration for some of the toughest competitors in the world. New Balance wanted to create a consistent, inspirational brand imprint throughout the city leading up to the NYC Marathon, utilizing NYC inspired artwork and elements of the #roadtoNYC campaign.

Approach:

We created cohesive and engaging experiences throughout New York City that mirrored the inspiration, energy, and spirit of NYC Marathon participants and spectators. From welcoming participants with immersive installations at the Javits Center, to providing spectators with custom printed signs, to rocking Mile 16 with Brooklyn United, we helped fuel the race weekend with energy.

Result:

Traction on the #roadtoNYC hashtag was massive during the week, and marathon runners got a proper welcome to the world's greatest city. From the week's start all the way to the finish line, TTS worked with NB to celebrate a joyful, inclusive, and inspiring community.

Challenge:

Diversity and inclusion is a challenge that we’ve been talking about for a long time. But we couldn’t help but notice, over the collective experience of everyone on the TTS team, we’ve barely seen that conversation move forward. We wanted to find a way to make a difference and see measurable change. Change happens because we make it happen. There’s nothing magical about the process — it’s about sweat, elbow-grease, and hard work. What’s magic are the outcomes that become possible when we stay committed and follow all-the-way through. We could help make a difference if we provided the backing of a _collective_, to help protect those that put themselves at personal risk.

Approach:

We asked participants to make a specific and measurable commitment to changing their organizations, to write it down, and to allow us to follow up with them to help them see it through.

Result:

Since our inaugural impact dinner with Rose Gold, we have received commitments from over 180 women across the United States. Commitments include personal goals, like mentoring younger women, and some include organizational goals to build pipeline programs for people of color. We continue to work with many of these women, and continue to welcome commitments from anyone who wants to make a positive difference with the backing of a collective.

Challenge:

Live.me wanted to throw a birthday party that its community would never forget. The ambition was high — throw a world class event in a stunning locale, invite top users of the application, and stream the entire party to an audience around the world.

Approach:

We booked French Montana, set up a multi-camera production a la the Oscars, hired hosts, set up jaw dropping rooms, featured local artists, took over a mansion in Beverly Hills, set up Wifi so intense that it handled over 100GB of users streaming, and furnished and catered the whole thing.

Result:

We had over 11 million impressions on social media, had 55K users watching our live broadcast, gave VIP users of Live.me an intimate concert with French Montana, and captured enough content for Live.me to post about for weeks.

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