Owning The Offline Movement

Athlete collabs have evolved a LOT in the age of the Internet creator. Fortnite maps, Twitch streams, podcasts, even NFTs. We've seen it all. Want to stand out? There’s a massive opportunity for brands to own the offline movement.

Any marketer working with athletes should steal this campaign framework.

First thing's first. There's a high demand for Internet-first content like gaming. We get that. We're deeply connected (and invested) in the emergence of digital experiences, including Fortnite, Roblox, and the like.

But there's another potential angle for brands to capitalize on the everything-is-on-the-internet movement. Do the opposite. Tell the world to get off the couch and play.

That Jordan-era "Be Like Mike" energy is missing in the industry right now.

I predict a craving for alternative messaging from millennial parents looking to drive their tweens off the couch — as both a reaction to election-induced screen fatigue and callback to a simpler childhood.

Listen. Gaming is awesome. And the Internet is awesome.

And ironically, whatever brand champions the offline movement will likely send that message through online channels.

A campaign that goes beyond just a montage of action shots showcasing the benefits of hard work. A campaign that calls out that there's a problem and says it matter-of-factly.

This feels heavily related to a recent controversy behind Logan Paul, Mr. Beast, and KSI’s Prime x Lunchy collab that’s loaded with sugar and crap.

People are pissed off as Lunchly investors like Chamath (I believe he’s an investor haven’t confirmed) promote healthy-eating for their families while facilitating the proliferation of processed food and sugar in their investments.

Here Chamath got ratioed as someone exposed his hypocrisy:

Consumers are more health-conscious and informed than ever before. People are turning the label. S/o to my high school alum Wasim who is making a full-time living off showing the world how to read nutrition facts and avoid toxic ingredients.

These are micro trends across the broader movement for healthier (offline) experiences. I think sports are a great plug to capitalize on this trend.

Other analog areas worth exploring: IRL experiences and physical collectibles in music, limited-run paper books/magazines/newspapers as alternatives to emails and articles, well-funded plays and musicals instead of movies, arcade pop-ups for popular games, IRL experiences for popular IP (ie anime cafes in Tokyo).