Defend the Dome broke all the rules and set a new bar for Ford sports partnerships while winning The Big Idea Award.

 

As Ford's longest-running sports partnership platform, Defend the Dome became a rallying cry for the Atlanta community when both Ford and the Falcons needed it most. Dipping into a recession, Ford was in a deep slump. The Falcons also suffered from a PR backlash due to Michael Vick's off-field troubles and arrest.

 

To transform the conversation, re-unite the fanbase and ignite vehicle sales, contracts were re-negotiated to find greater emotional impact and excitement for both brands, exploring new opportunities and innovations that improved the fan experience across the entire fan journey. We also recruited all-pro players across the campaign, including Matt Ryan, John Abraham, Tony Gonzalez, Michael Turner, Michael Jenkins, Alge Crumpler and more. The campaign was featured in Sports Illustrated, spoken about on broadcast Play by play and was embraced by the city so much that both Hip-hop and Country bands produced music videos with original music, both entitled Defend the Dome.

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