Face to Face with... Ben Hartman

If you’re a football fan and have ever played the game, you’ll know all about the adidas Predator and classic World Cup boots – but there’s always room for another to feast at the table of sporting history, and recently, United State of FansTBWA Amsterdam developed a fully integrated campaign to promote the newbie in town, the adidas Nitrocharge.

Designed for the anchor man of the field, or the ‘engine’, the boot celebrates the phase in which a monumental move is made – whether it be a tackle, turn or through ball – and the above lead commercial mixes footballing clips with comparative scenes of animals and animated action to communicate the message. Here, ECD at the agency Ben Hartman, who has previously worked at 180 Amsterdam, RKCR/Y&R London and BBH, tells us about how he kicked the campaign into action, found himself playing with mathematics and what it’s been like working with a passionate bunch of creatives since he joined the agency in January.

What was the brief from adidas?

adidas asked us to launch a completely new, energy-retaining football boot and deliver cutting edge football communication.

What was it like collaborating with the other agencies and did it take a lot of meetings to get to the final strategy for the campaign?

I’d love to tell you that five agencies sat in a room and bounced ideas around before all spontaneously arriving at the concept ‘Nitrocharge Your Game’. In fact, it was a classic case of the lead ATL agency coming up with the big idea, then everyone else riffing off it into areas such as digital, retail and PR.

As lead agency, integration was key for a project of this size and importance. Once we had landed on the strategy and agreed with adidas, we then went about involving all of the other disciplines and agency partners to collaborate on the campaign execution.

However, what was an innovative and totally original collaboration was our involvement with Opta in the development of the player algorithm. This scientific formula helps identify and prove the effectiveness of the ‘engine’ player for whom the new ‘Nitrocharge’ boot is designed. If you like, it’s the mathematical version of ‘winning never quits’. This method of scientific testing and underpinning was core to the whole process and is certainly cutting edge in terms of football and advertising.

How important do you think it is to optimise such a campaign to work in accordance with mobile devices today?

It depends on the experience you are trying to deliver. The Nitrocharge campaign was visible across all social platforms in the build-up to the launch, so that the audience could interact and follow #TheEngine discussion ahead of the official launch films on YouTube. The digital experience allowed users to interact with the film directly via their mobile devices offering an extremely engaging experience.

How do you like to ‘read the team the riot act’ as the ECD of an ad agency?

It doesn’t happen very often to be honest – I’ve got a good, motivated team. If a player isn’t performing, it’s “come in, shut the door”, tell them where their game’s going wrong and how to fix it. If things don’t improve, I make sure they’re aware of the substitutes warming up on the side! If things still don’t improve, maybe they’re playing for the wrong team.

Are you a football fan yourself and what’s your preferred position? Did having football fans/players on the creative team help in developing the campaign concept?

I’ve supported Chelsea ever since I first saw Mickey Droy in tight, royal blue shorts. My preferred playing position is now centre-back - the perfect place to watch the game, shout instructions and do as little running as possible.

Our agency is full of footballers and football fans. It means every strategy, every creative idea, every line and visual is interrogated to death and only the good stuff gets through. It also meant there was huge passion and energy for the brief, which is half the battle.

What do you hope users will take away from the experience?

adidas has raised the bar again. Not only in the field of communication but also in providing a completely new energy-retaining football boot for players who never quit. Hopefully the work will help youngsters realise that goals scored in f50s or Predators begin when a player in Nitrocharge draws on all his energy to win a 50/50 tackle back in his own half. More importantly, it should inspire them to be the player who makes that tackle.

Tell us more about the lead TVC, and the technique you used to get the message across…

We wanted to tell the story of this new player type - ‘The Engine’. The ad breaks down certain trademark ‘engine’ moves – toe-off, tackle, side-cut, header, block – and shows how the Nitrocharge boot gives them added energy. Rapidly intercutting visual metaphors reinforced the messaging. Add to that the raw emotion and passion of these roaring players and you paint a dramatic, intense portrait.

Just as important, the film itself needed to deliver an eye-popping hit of energy. Like a rectal examination on a triple espresso, we wanted to generate reactions of “Wtf did I just watch?” Music and data-moshing also helped to tell the narrative, as well as to add to the intensity and effect of the triple espresso/doctor’s index finger.

How have you enjoyed your year so far at United State of FansTBWA?

A bit like the TVC, it’s been intense and nitrocharged. I started the year as a freelance copywriter, now I’m ECD and managing partner. Plus, coming from a traditional agency background to one that’s fully integrated means I’m learning new stuff every day. I’m on a steep and priceless learning curve here - one that I want to make sure keeps curving into new places.

How does the agency compare to your previous experience at more traditional agencies?

Ideas are the single currency of all agencies - that will never change. Media is what changes. United State of Fans is nimble and resourceful enough to crack big, global ideas and then deliver them from the biggest to the smallest of mediums. Most of my previous agencies had the turning circle of an oil tanker (and are still turning).

We’re big on innovation here too. As I said, the Nitrocharge campaign was grounded in a mathematical player algorithm. I suddenly found myself in discussions about the conversational equity of big data in football, pushing my role as a creative director off the beaten path.

The Dutch influence also makes a difference – they’re refreshingly straightforward.