Opening its inaugural season as the world's richest thoroughbred horse race, the Pegasus World Cup Invitational sought to redefine the category for a new generation of fans. I pitched with the creative team to win the entire 360 campaign and brand launch. Held at Gulfstream Park in Miami, we decided the campaign would play up the traditional sport with a flavor of tropical glamour, but also drive awareness for a new demographic through a streaming comedic series featuring MMA superstar Conor MacGregor and Jon Lovitz.
"The 13th Jockey" became the cornerstone of the Pegasus awareness campaign—where MacGregor's confidence overtakes the thoroughbred game under the training of a bumbling Jon Lovitz. I collaborated with ideation, developed the series package and branding, and oversaw our vfx team from pre-production through post with renowned director, Frank Coraci.
In tandem with this effort, I provided oversight and direction for the design team, as we produced web-based brand guidelines, printed editorial and OOH, a digital suite of media assets, and on-site collateral and environmental displays for the day of race.
Under our campaign pillars of Watch, Wager and Witness, we helped to attract a new fanbase for Pegasus. As a result, viewership on NBC exceeded network goals, and Episode 4 was featured in full during NBC's live broadcast.
A contest site for Pegasus Win Win drove awareness to wager on a separate site through optimized user flows and shareable assets. Fans could become brand advocates by sending custom taunting messages from Conor or using our custom Pegasus emoji set.
Conor's taunts notwithstanding, cohesive branding, targeted messaging, and killer content made the inaugural Pegasus Invitational a success, and lays the framework for America's newest cultural sporting event.
