Dick’s is expanding its holiday marketing efforts with a Texas-centric push featuring top athletes with close ties to the state, including gymnast Simone Biles, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, San Antonio Spurs point guard Chris Paul and college quarterback Quinn Ewers. Each athlete was charged with decorating their local store in a unique style for the title of Dick’s holiday decorating officer. Decorations are on display until the end of the year. Participants will also receive a $100,000 Sports Matter grant to award to the local sport organizations of their choice, according to a press release.
Dick’s earlier this month launched a national ad campaign featuring the Watt family recreating classic holiday films. That campaign puts a special emphasis on Dick’s website for last-minute gift shopping. The chain extending its holiday blitz follows another strong financial period. Comparable sales grew 4.2% year over year in Q3, contrasting with retail rivals that have grappled with consumer price sensitivity.
The new decorations-themed effort was developed in partnership with Bolded, the new branded content division from OBB Media. The in-store displays are intended to drive store traffic and social media buzz during the spending season. The displays can be seen in Dick’s stores in Texas cities Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. The campaign also includes 30- and 60-second ads. While TV and radio commercials will be local to the four cities, social media and the high-profile nature of each athlete could help extend the campaign beyond Texas.
Kicking off the campaign is a short video featuring each athlete giving peeks into their designs, along with a cameo from actor and Texas native Matthew McConaughey. Each design is reflective of the chosen athlete, such as gold accents to celebrate Biles’s medals.
While a national chain, Dick’s has sharpened a focus on the Lone Star State. In October, the sporting goods chain began construction on an 800,000 square-foot regional distribution center in Fort Worth, Texas. The facility is meant to support the chain’s sales gains.
