From 2016–2018, I helped shape nearly every corner of the Connecticut Sun’s marketing — from social strategy, design and copy to email, web, paid media and live game coverage.

At a time when women athletes were too often marketed as polished subjects rather than full personalities, I pushed the team toward a more human, entertainment-led voice. The players became more than the faces of the work; they became the talent, carrying the jokes, characters and stories themselves.

CONNECTICUT
SUN, WNBA

SHOT BY ME AT 2017 WNBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND

DESIGNING THE SEASONS

2017 ALL-STAR CAMPAIGN

With four strong All-Star candidates and a voting system driven by social participation, we needed a way to keep asking fans to vote without making the message feel repetitive.

So we turned each player into her own biggest fan: a fully realized grandma alter ego with a name, personality and very strong opinions about why her younger self belonged at All-Star Weekend. Shot in a dry, mockumentary style, the players carried the comedy themselves through a hero film and a series of one-on-one interviews with their real-life counterparts.

The campaign won the WNBA’s Marketing Campaign of the Year award at the league summit — and earned a feature in USA Today’s For The Win.

RESULT
Three Connecticut Sun players were selected for the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game.

2018 ALL-STAR CAMPAIGN

After the previous year’s campaign, expectations were high for what we would do next. Inspired by the all-female ensemble of Ocean’s 8 that dropped the same year, we created Miller’s 12 — a cinematic heist campaign starring the Connecticut Sun roster.

With All-Star Weekend taking place in Minnesota, home of the league’s reigning champions, our players devised a plan: earn their way there through All-Star selections, then steal the trophy once they arrived.

The story unfolded through a hero film, serialized teasers, player-specific voting content and real-time game coverage, with the players once again serving as the cast.

RESULT
Chiney Ogwumike was selected for the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game.