Creative

Advertising promoting the contest, which accepted submissions from Feb. 3-March 15, was tacked on to two spots in T-Mobile's ongoing NBA campaign. The ads, which appeared during regular-season games, explored Barkley and Wade's post-Super Bowl chemistry, with Barkley as the pursuer. In one spot, he calls Wade during a press conference to ask for "those cushy, cotton NBA logo socks… I need 'em for my footsies."

"We spent nothing incrementally to promote the contest," says English, who added that even the Remixer construction and Web site redesign were built into T-Mobile's sponsorship package as a site refresh. Online promotion was also included in T-Mobile's sponsorship, including a YouTube channel featuring the NBA duo's greatest hits.

"It was incredibly cost-effective," Fietsam says. "Those assets we generated with the film would normally never have seen the light of day. Anybody that shoots commercial film probably uses one-tenth of the film they shoot, and the rest ends up in a bin somewhere. That we were able to maximize our film investment that way is unprecedented."

Once users enter the site, they're offered a short tutorial on how to use the Remixer. Consumers can toy with 69 different 1- to 7-second clips, 56 sound effects and 11 music tracks to string together videos on themes such as Barkley's basketball advice, food or getting-to-know-you chitchat.

The winning spot, chosen by a committee that included the agency, client and Barkley himself, shows D-Wade answering the phone mid-shower, soaped up and with the water running. Sir Charles proceeds to quiz Wade on various types of cheese, "Do you know what Gouda cheese is?" When Wade protests, Barkley reminds him, "I put you in the Fave Five, I can take you out. You were No. 5 anyway." Wade stays on the line until Barkley decides to ditch the cheese and make himself a smoothie. The ad aired during the NBA finals earlier this month.

Results

Of about 1,200 entries received, nearly 900 were eligible for consideration under the contest rules, says English, adding they didn't receive any "abusive" entries.

The company's brand awareness and consideration among the NBA audience rose by 12 percent during the six-week contest, according to internal research by T-Mobile. The increase is considerable given that T-Mobile's other NBA sponsorship activities have increased brand awareness by 4 percent and consideration by 7 percent over general market audiences, English says.

And, of course, it didn't hurt that this year's bicoastal matchup between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers was one of the most watched in years. Game six of the finals, wherein the Celtics clinched their 17th championship after a 22-year hiatus, drew 16.8 million viewers. In fact, the finals drew its largest audience since 2001, with an overall 11.5 rating and attracted 43 percent more viewers than last year.