Cleveland Browns Dawg Pound Logo Redesign Campaign

About Project

In 2022 the Cleveland Browns, of the National Football League, launched a WIT Vote-to-Win activation that had fans choose a design for the team’s 50-yard line, a spot which had been empty for seven years. The initiative went viral among Browns backers and the sports world at large, culminating in an epic field reveal that was covered by numerous high-profile news outlets, discussed on Monday Night Football, and tweeted out by the likes of Adam Schefter. The Browns were floored by the results, not just in terms of leads or impressions but in the excitement and love shared by their fans in appreciation for giving them a say in an important team decision.
Looking to replicate and build on the success of the 2022 50-Yard Line Field Design activation, the Browns came to WIT to collaboratively develop an ultra-engaging promotion with a long timeline to encourage followers at every level of fandom and increase hype for the Browns during the off-season like never before. The biggest challenges were faced in the planning phase while initially figuring out the structure of the campaign. There was a significant amount of moving parts to take into account to meet all KPIs, and the marketing would have to be broad and clear so that all demographics felt welcome to participate throughout. WIT needed to strategically choose products that could decide which type of dog represented the Browns, receive public submissions for the new logo design, and narrow the responses to let fans vote on a winning design.
WIT and the Browns finally decided on a three-pronged approach for the new project. This 2023 sequence would go far bigger than the singular viral field design activation, segmenting in four launches over several months to give Browns followers an experience that ramped up gradually and welcomed new participants at every phase. The Bracket, Contest, and Vote-to-Win were selected to fulfill the goals of choosing a dog breed, inviting public logo submissions, and selecting a victorious logo because they put their fans in the driver’s seat at every turn.
The Bracket hosted eight dynamic dog breed matchups in an interactive format with full side-by-side visuals. The Contest crowd-sourced supporters’ designs while encouraging virality online with competitive voting. Additionally, participants received custom dynamically-generated share graphics displaying their current rank and the number of votes needed to move up a spot, incentivizing entry promotion with a clear path to success. The first Vote-to-Win made use of a new ranked choice feature, allowing participants to weigh their two selections in order, and both Vote-to-Wins featured post-entry pages with text and links guiding contestants to purchase tickets. This intricate, intensive campaign was designed to give every Browns fan a chance to influence team history with the scale and timeline such a momentous decision deserved.
Through the WIT Bracket, Contest, and Vote-to-Win, the Cleveland Browns were able to create a completely bespoke experience for their audience while tracking every engagement, sourcing an incredible amount of new leads, and allowing their entire fanbase to get in on the action. It was truly a viral campaign that encompassed the entire Browns fandom and beyond.