The 2022 Heisman Trophy Campaign
Photography by Rob Washington ( @robwashiii )
The USC creative team had the unique opportunity to tell the story of Caleb Williams’ program-changing season in 2022. Collectively, we created an intentional plan to promote and authentically show the country who Caleb is as a person, the player and what he is doing with his platform. In the end, Williams' outstanding performance on the field, and his leadership and character off the field, ultimately convinced the voters to select him as the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner.
The following is the art and creative direction behind the “HE13MAN” campaign.
The Team
Jonathan Chaves - Strategy + Art Direction
Radmen Niven - Strategy + Video
Geno Velasco - Video Post-Production
Rob Washington - Motion Design + Photography + Video
Juan Reyes - Social Strategy + Website Development
October 2022: The Beginning
Name and overall creative concepts begin to develop. With all parties involved in brainstorming sessions, the initial creative concept using “He is” from “Heisman” is set as the foundation of the campaign. During this time the primary wordmark, slogan and icon set are all developed and are used in design samples.
November 2022: FYC13
The strategy is set in place to subtly begin promoting Caleb Williams without fully launching the campaign. We do a soft-launch using the hashtag #FYC13 and we sprinkle easter eggs throughout graphics hinting at Caleb becoming USC’s 8th Heisman Trophy winner.
November 21, 2022: The Launch
A full rollout of content starts at 8:13am to officially announce the “HE13MAN” campaign. For the following weeks leading up to the official voting we leverage our social channels, our staff and influencers close to SC to create a conversation about Caleb and the Heisman. This activation spans from the @uscfb feeds, to the NFL and even Snoop Dog.
Photography by Rob Washington ( @robwashiii )
December 10, 2022: The 2022 Heisman Trophy Winner
Caleb Williams officially becomes the 8th Heisman Trophy winner in school history ( The 𝙈𝙤𝙨𝙩 Heisman Trophy winners in college football ).
