To say the NBA is a hot property would be an understatement. In Canada alone, there are thirty-two brands sponsoring everything from the league, to the team, to the arena, to the players, and even the jerseys. You can hardly look anywhere without seeing a logo.

Snickers had been an official partner of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors for three years, but with phenomenal popularity of both the NBA and the Toronto Raptors, it was getting harder to stand out in a sea of sponsors. The brand needed to connect with Raptors fans and show them that they loved basketball culture as much as the fans did. On top of that, the brand needed to prove that they weren’t just another logo popping up during the game. So they went where no other brand had gone before.

The agency’s strategy was to make Snickers the first brand to hijack the NBA tunnel walk. In recent years, the tunnel walk has become a source of endless content and commentary as players enter the arena and are photographed walking to the locker room sporting the latest fashion. Using Snickers’ iconic ‘You’re Not You When You’re Hungry’ creative platform, the team outfitted Toronto Raptor Delon Wright in an outrageously oversized suit that was sure to garner attention. Following the game, Delon would then reveal that the suit was an unfortunate consequence of a hunger-induced style lapse and, after eating a Snickers, he was now back to himself.

The execution came to life in two phases: The Set-Up and The Reveal. The Set-Up kicked off just before game time when the Raptors posted a picture of Delon walking the tunnel in his oversized suit on their official Instagram and Twitter accounts. Fans across the country immediately began liking, commenting and reposting the photo. Within the hour dozens of memes had been posted and several sports media outlets had responded. Adding fuel to the fire, during the broadcast of the game, Raptors commentators questioned Delon’s fashion
choice over a video of his tunnel walk.

Basketball fans remained baffled until The Reveal the following day. The Raptors, Delon and Snickers all posted promoted videos to their official Instagram and Twitter accounts revealing that the fashion faux pas was in fact a hunger mistake and after eating a Snickers, Delon was back to normal.

The campaign generated 1.5 million unique engagements and became a National Trending Topic on Twitter within hours of posting the first photo. Dozens of fan-generated memes were created and even NBA all-stars like Dwayne Wade and Kevin Durant engaged with it.

The story was picked up by every major Canadian sports media outlet including Sports Illustrated, Sportsnet, TSN, ESPN and Bleacher Report. In the first twenty-four hours alone, the campaign generated 23 million earned impressions. The stunt not only proved that you’re not yourself when you’re hungry, it also earned Snickers a place in the hearts and social feeds of Canadian basketball fans.