GAME-WORN TRIBUTES
(WVU ATHLETES CHAMPION CHILDREN’S GRIEF AWARENESS)
OBJECTIVE
Raise awareness of childhood grief in West Virginia—the state with the nation’s highest rate of parental or sibling loss among children—while giving student-athletes a platform to honor loved ones and promote community support.
INSIGHT
Fans respond to authentic, athlete-driven storytelling—especially when shared organically by the athletes themselves, inspiring empathy, engagement, and action.
ACTION
• Partnered with WVU’s Country Roads Trust NIL collective to identify student-athletes with lived grief experiences.
• Designed custom Children’s Grief Awareness Day, game-worn footwear—WVU’s first-ever custom in-game shoes. Shoes featured blue butterflies, Children’s Grief Awareness Day, and Highmark Caring Place branding.
• Activated during nationally televised women’s basketball, men’s basketball, and football games on ESPN+, ESPN2, and the ACC Network.
• Produced a central athlete-story video and executed a 100% organic, athlete-led social media campaign with zero paid amplification, preserving authenticity and trust.
• Integrated the campaign into Highmark Caring Place’s Virtual Children’s Grief Awareness Day event.
• Executed all planning, NIL partnerships, production, and customization on a $5,000 total budget.
RESULTS/METRICS
(100% ORGANIC)
🏆 Winner, 2026 PRSA Renaissance Award *Best in Show Finalist
👀 Views: 61,443
📈 Impressions: 105,405
❤️ Engagement: 1,332
🎯 Reach: 36,934
🔁 Shares: 241
🕒 Watch time: 17+ hours
📺 National media coverage on ESPN, ESPN2, and ACC Network
IMPACT
• Positioned Highmark Caring Place as a leading advocate for childhood grief support in West Virginia.
• Brought a stigmatized issue into mainstream sports culture through visible, game-day tributes.
• Deepened emotional connection with fans through authentic athlete storytelling.
• Demonstrated exceptional ROI by leveraging NIL, organic content, and cultural relevance to drive national awareness with minimal spend.
• Proved that purpose-driven, athlete-led storytelling can outperform traditional awareness tactics without paid media, setting a scalable model for future advocacy campaigns.