As we kick-off football season, we sat down with Esteban Carbajal, the Creative Director for the Oakland Raiders, to learn more about their #OneNationYourStory campaign. The video contest was a huge success, leveraging fan stories to create a personal, sentimental, and deeply engaging way for fans to celebrate their team and get excited about the season.

The #OneNationYourStory campaign ran from May 15th to July 15th and called for fans to submit a video of their favorite Raiders memories, why they love the Raiders, and how the Raiders positively influenced their lives. The Raiders chose a winning video submission and gave away a trip for four to see the Raiders play the Dolphins in London on September 28th.

The overall effect was outstanding for the Raiders, rallying the Raider Nation and driving online engagement and buzz around the season opener. The social media contest was thrilling for submitters, but also allowed viewers to be inspired by their fellow fans. It created a sense of community and belonging to fans, young and old. The campaign received hundreds of submissions including multiple entries from many users and drove millions of impressions on social. The contest microsite drew over 15,000 visits over the 8 weeks with little advertising. Go Raiders!

Below are some of the highlights from our interview with Esteban:

‍What were your goals for your Raiders One Nation Your Story campaign? How do you think the campaign went?‍

Esteban: We had several goals for the One Nation Your Story contest. Our primary goal was to shed a positive spotlight on the Raiders brand by giving our fans a platform that would allow them to express how the Raiders have positively influenced their lives. Another goal of ours was to keep the Raiders brand relevant during the off-season, a period that’s typically quiet. This contest also served as a brand research platform that provided us insights on why fans are so passionate about the Raiders. We feel the contest was a success.

‍What do you think made the campaign successful?

‍Esteban: Multiple factors: from placement and consistency of promotion, the effectiveness of all visual communication associated with this contest, the prizes that were offered (including a grand prize trip for four to London) as well as our passionate fan base and the Pixlee platform. A lot of things were required to work in sync with one another and did.

‍As a marketer, why is user-generated content appealing to you?

‍Esteban: User generated content is appealing to the Raiders because it allows fans to illustrate that they are part of something bigger than themselves. Our fans are extremely passionate people, and as a branding professional, I am always looking for ways to illustrate our fans’ passion. Passion sells, it inspires interest in those who are not as passionate about what’s being expressed and is engaging to those fans that feel the same passion. UGC provides our fans an efficient platform to showcase their passion, which is a huge a benefit to our brand.

‍Where do you see more brands taking advantage of opportunities to create social marketing campaigns in the future?

‍Esteban: I feel more brands will take advantage of opportunities to create social campaigns to inspire positive action that could eventually inspire more people to feel passionate about the brand. For example, one of the primary themes we discovered when we asked fans why they love the Raiders was that the Raiders allowed them to feel a sense of unity. Many fans described a reason that was bigger than the sport itself. If a non-Raiders fan or football fan saw some of the stories that were submitted and posted, I believe the values that were conveyed could potentially inspire those non-fans to want to connect with our brand. In the future, I feel brands need to establish a purpose and a set of core values that appeal to the majority and is true to the organization's purpose. People feel connected to people who have the same values as them…it’s no different with a brand. I see more brands using these opportunities to convey their values in hopes of increasing the chances of connecting with more like-minded people.

The Oakland Raiders are an NFL team that was founded in 1960. The Raiders are known for their die-hard fan base, known as “Raider Nation.” Raider Nation is incredibly active online, submitting thousands of photos and videos celebrating their team.

Esteban and the Raider’s marketing team has been incredibly successful leveraging UGC and celebrating the voice of their own fans in their marketing mix. Some of the other great campaigns they have run around customer content include pets rocking Raiders colors, Raiders Ride, and the next generation photo campaign.