SourceCode Helps Everlast
“Be First”
A global icon, the Everlast brand has been synonymous with boxing and fight sports for more than a century.
With goals of reinserting the brand into relevant cultural conversations and engaging a new crop of brand evangelists, Everlast selected SourceCode Communications as its first PR Agency of Record to put the iconic brand back in the ring.
Working closely with Everlast, SourceCode launched “Be First,” a global campaign featuring trailblazers in the fight sports community and beyond.
500
Nearly 500 earned media placements
520%
Increase in Instagram reach
13.5 MM
earned social impressions via influencers
SourceCode was Everlast’s first-ever agency in North America. There was skepticism internally but the agency quickly quelled any of those concerns. The team has helped us change the perception of the brand and make it more relevant for today’s America. From creative campaigns to product launches to navigating the challenging waters of the COVID crisis, we rely heavily on the team’s insight and strategy recommendations to make sure our story is being told effectively across all our target audiences.”
Challenge
In fight sports, being first means to be the aggressor and the fighter who dictates the pace of the fight.
Taking the power of this phrase and the meaning it could have when applied beyond the ring, the campaign highlighted a collection of inspiring stories of fighters who embody this mindset.
SourceCode developed an intimate short-film with Patricio Manuel, the world’s first transgender professional boxer, to bring the campaign to life and used the video as a key asset to spread the message of the campaign – challenging people to carve their own paths and dictate the pace of their life, goals, and personal journey.
Solution
Once the campaign launched, to continue building on its initial success, SourceCode worked with Everlast to further the mission of the campaign, highlighting and celebrating new crops of athletes who embody the message of ‘Be First.’ The latest iteration launch was timed with International Women’s Day, telling the stories of three women who are carving their own paths within this male-dominated industry.
SourceCode drafted core messaging and adapted it for key targets including national news, business, men’s lifestyle, LGBTQ, sports, urban, and the advertising and marketing trades. More than 50 editors agreed to the embargo and 25 pre-launch interviews with Everlast and Patricio were held including Reuters, CNBC, ABC, NBC, Cheddar, Mashable and Marketing Dive.
Results
“Be First” launched with media outlets hailing Everlast as making history. Over the course of one week, the campaign went viral, generating almost 500 earned media placements across top-tier digital, broadcast, and social channels including CNN, Reuters, People, Men’s Health, Good Morning America, Newsweek, and The Advocate. Web traffic increased 11.2% and has sustained to these new levels since the launch in addition to increases in reach and engagement across all Facebook and Instagram. Equally as exciting was the attention being brought to diversity within boxing. Per Google Trends, searches for “transgender boxer” were at a six-month peak during launch.
Saluted by organizations such as GLAAD, the World Economic Forum, and The Human Rights Campaign, “Be First” opened the door for larger future collaborations to help underrepresented communities. Everlast’s global licensees noted the campaign success and have used the content and publicity to re-energize retail partnerships while brand licensees have already begun localizing campaign elements to maintain the momentum in advance of the launch of additional Be First trailblazers.
