PUEBLO, Colo. – There’s always been something special about a first impression.
When the Kansas City Outlaws began drumming up marketing and advertising efforts for the upcoming 2023 PBR Teams season, the organization wanted to create something that would not only help the squad make some noise for the second-ever Outlaw Days (Aug. 3-5 inside T-Mobile Center), but something that truly captured the attention of members of the Kansas City community.
Building on a successful first homestand during last year’s inaugural season of PBR Teams, folks from the Kansas City area have been avid bull riding fans for the entirety of PBR’s now 30-year history, but the idea of supporting a local, team-based entity within the bull riding world is still new for them and markets around the country.
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So, when the idea to create and display a larger-than-life cow skull, identical to the design used throughout the organization’s previously established branding campaign, the team’s front office had to *at least* kick the tires on bringing that opportunity to life.
When most people walk or drive by a billboard, they look at it for 1 or 2 seconds; the ideal campaign must be as impactful and entertaining and informative as possible – in just split seconds.
Whether fans want to know more about PBR Teams, the Kansas City Outlaws or why the hell there’s a massive skull on the side of the freeway, the goal is to make people curious and eager to search. A larger-than-life execution made sense for the team.
“It’s not a magazine ad, it’s not a banner ad, it’s larger than life," said Eddy Herty, who oversaw the project for OUTFRONT MEDIA, an agency that has helped the Outlaws in the past.
"When was the last time you saw a 20 ft-tall skull with glowing red eyes? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that,” Herty said.
“We attribute memories to things that occur during your everyday routines and commutes, but for some reason, something sticks out from the norm. That is what creates a memory, if, a HUGE IF, the creative is done right.”
While the ticket sales, social chatter, google searches, website traffic and beyond earned from the advertisements will ultimately define the billboard’s effectiveness, there’s no denying this is a buzz-worthy campaign that will surprise and delight a lot of people ahead of the Outlaws' Aug. 3-5 homestand.
Of course, the giant skull displayed alongside I-35, weighing nearly 300 lbs. is merely the anchoring piece to the group’s campaign, with digital billboards, banner ads and beyond complementing the crown jewel.
While the display has been showing love to Kansas City’s first-ever professional bull riding team since June 9th, fans who want to get a peek at the epic installment will need to do so before the conclusion of Outlaw Days, as the event-centered campaign will wrap up following the exciting Championship Sunday action inside T-Mobile Center Aug. 5.
The end product, constructed in house by a Kansas City-based crew, helps build the Outlaws an all-important presence with a new dynamic to an ever-growing and evolving city.
After teasing a few upcoming activations working alongside the Austin Gamblers organization and their efforts to make some noise for Gambler Days, set to invade Moody Center Aug. 25-27, PBR Teams fans and all event attendees would be wise to keep their eyes out for additional installments down south as year two of the 5-on-5 format continues to think outside the box: Both on the dirt and billboards.
Limited tickets remain for the second-ever Outlaw Days, set to take place inside T-Mobile Center Aug. 3-5, as the Kansas City Outlaws prepare to host the Arizona Ridge Riders (Aug. 3), Oklahoma Freedom (Aug. 4) and Missouri Thunder (Aug. 5) during the first team-hosted homestand, and second event of the regular-season. PBR Teams action will officially begin July 24-25 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as part of the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days celebration.
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
