NCAA - Hidden Camera Prank Surprises High School Athletes

The NCAA is changing its eligibility requirements for Division I athletes—from a 2.0 GPA in core courses to a 2.3 GPA—starting in 2016. To help raise awareness, NCAA’s advertising agency since 2012, Leo Burnett Detroit, created “Talking Bench,” a campaign informing high school athletes of where they’ll sit if they don’t make the grade.

The campaign kicked off by surprising high school athletes in a candid video shoot. As students get sent to the proverbial bench, they get a wisecrack earful from The Bench. It jokes with one basketball player, “I hope you’re better at passing tests than you did passing that ball.” The Bench asks another student for her GPA. When she says she doesn’t know, the bench responds, “You don’t know?! Now I know exactly why you’re over here.”

Talking Bench will include a :30-second PSA on Turner networks, ESPN, CBS Sports and CBS. The spot will also run in select cinema. The initiative will reach students via in-school collateral such as wall posters and sticker talk bubble decals that will go on actual gymnasium benches. In addition, dozens of short-clip videos as well as an enter-to-win contest will run in social including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and SnapChat.

Creative Credits:
Client: NCAA
Agency: Leo Burnett Detroit
Campaign: Talking Bench
Chief Creative Officer: Steve Chavez
SVP, Creative Director, Art: Bob Veasey
SVP, Integrated Creative Director, Copy: Glen Hilzinger
VP, Executive Producer: Erik Zaar
AD, Operations: Jessica Harold
Integrated Group Director: Skip Drayton
Print Producer: Steve Lyons from Prodigious
Planner: Melanie Reynolds
Production Company: Prettybird
Director: Billy Rainey
Social Media Company: Renegade
PR Company: Coyne PR