NCAA "HUDDLE"
The Challenge: The NCAA fights a significant public perception battle. In anticipation of the announcement of a 10.8 billion basketball tournament broadcast deal, the NCAA challenged Y&R to develop a series of PSAs to raise awareness of the organization's broader mission: providing financial aid for over 400,000 student-athletes, so they can compete and learn.
The Strategy: Develop a simple campaign idea that encapsulates both the reach of the NCAA support, as well as the end benefit to student-athletes: "There are over 400,000 NCAA student-athletes. And just about all of us will go pro in something other than sports."
The Execution: To bring this idea to life, Y&R partnered with Motion Theory to revive one of the most iconic figures in NCAA history: John Wooden. The spot opened on a vintage clip of Wooden addressing his team, before pulling back and revealing 400,000 student-athletes in the huddle.