Apple ‘Shot On iPhone’ Expands Via NHL Player XS OOH & Instagram Hockey Campaign

Late February saw tech behemoth Apple expand its ongoing, global ‘Shot On iPhone’ initiative through a fresh sports strand of the campaign that saw the brand furnish eight hockey teams with the iPhone XS

This new sports phase of the long-running outdoor campaign best known for showcasing consumer shots of striking landscapes and portraits, sees a new set of billboards feature images taken from the daily life of some of the NHL’s biggest stars.

Created by agency TBWA/Media Arts Lab, the images aren’t just of pro hockey lifestyles, but are actually taken by the players themselves.

The brand handed over a stack of iPhone XS’ to eight NHL teams – Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers, Carolina Hurricanes, Arizona Coyotes, Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers – and invited the players to capture intimate moments representative of their teams.

The resulting posters range from Washington Capitals’ center Nicklas Backstrom’s snap of super star team captain Alexander Ovechkin in a moment of reflection off the ice (which currently hangs on a poster site on the side of the team’s Capital One Arena), to a picture shot by Edmonton Oilers’ left-winger Milan Lucic of his teammates during a pre buzzer team huddle.

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Commissioned by Apple. A look at the 2018 – 2019 @NHL season, as seen by the players themselves. @NHLPA #ShotoniPhone 1. Edmonton Oilers. Connor McDavid (@mcdavid97), Leon Draisaitl (@drat_29), Darnell Nurse (@drtwofive) shot by Milan Lucic. – 2. Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek (@pmraza34) shot by Justin Faulk. – 3. Arizona Coyotes. Niklas Hjalmarsson shot by Oliver Ekman-Larsson (@oel23). – 4. Philadelphia Flyers. Game Time shot by James van Riemsdyk (@jvanriemsdyk). – 5. Ottawa Senators. Colin White (@cwhitey27) shot by Bobby Ryan.

A post shared by apple (@apple) on Feb 27, 2019 at 11:36am PST

As well as the outdoor campaign strand (which includes huge executions on the side of several NHL arenas), further NHL player images will roll out on social media – primarily via Instagram Stories – and the project aims not just to showcase the product, but also to offer hockey fans an authentic glimpse into the typical, everyday lives of an NHL player.

Fans will also receive a behind-the-scenes look at the daily practice facilities, pre-game rituals and other moments all capture on the iPhone XS.

Comment:

This is a smart and authentic way of extending this ongoing campaign in a seasonal way that will also generate sports fan engagement as well as appealing to consumers more interested in creative imagery.

It’s not the first time ‘Shot On iPhone as had a sports link.

Apple also leveraged UEFA Euro 2016 for a ‘Shot On iPhone’ initiative (see case study).

Links:

Apple

http://www.apple.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/Apple

https://www.instagram.com/apple

TBWA/Media Arts Lab

https://www.mediaartslab.com/