‘Bring Ya Ass’
Tourism Campaign Case Study
How we turned 8 dollars into an ultra-viral tourism campaign that resulted in hundreds of millions of impressions, press in every major publication, and national TV coverage (with Shaq!)
THE CONTEXT
It was the comment heard around the sports world. After a thrilling game 7 victory against the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves basketball star Anthony Edwards made a quick-witted jab during a post-game interview with TNT commentator Charles Barkley. After Barkley joked that he had not been to Minnesota in over “twenty years,” Edwards quickly and enthusiastically responded, “Bring ya ass.” What happened next would be one of the most memorable and spontaneous tourism campaigns in Minnesota history.
graphic via Explore MN
THE WORK
As the comment continued to make rounds online, our team jumped into action to grab the URL “BringYaAss.com” — a ($8) domain that was shockingly still available. After some quick consideration and discussion, we decided the best use of the URL was to direct it back toward Minnesota’s tourism website (Explore MN) as the state was set to take the national stage with all eyes on the North.
Throughout the next 48 hours, we would work closely with various agencies and organizations throughout Minnesota to create a consistent, memorable, and exciting state-wide campaign that represented the best of Minnesota. The URL — now viral throughout the country — would act as the portal and steady heartbeat of the rapid-fire tourism campaign, inviting folks from around the country (and world) to explore everything the state has to offer.
WHAT WE DID:
Rapid-fire response & domain identification / purchase
Strategic collaborations and creative deployment
Ongoing advising & consulting
Public relations and media communications
Messaging and positioning work
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
“With Ant's help and a few beautiful scenic shots from the TNT broadcast this week, [Minnesota] shouldn't have much trouble becoming the Land of 10,000 Likes.”
NEW YORK TIMES
“Few seem to be wringing their hands over the proliferation of the three-letter word...”
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
“Anthony Edwards' 'Bring Ya Ass' remark inspires new Minnesota tourism campaign.”
USA TODAY
“Jon Savitt is truly a man of the people…of Minnesota.”
MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
“A genius marketing move...”
THE OUTCOME
The campaign surpassed even our most ambitious objectives. In under 12 hours, both the URL and hashtag #BringYaAss was trending on Twitter. Countless people and businesses across Minnesota adopted the slogan with pride — including the Timberwolves themselves who used the domain in their marketing materials.
The campaign was picked up by nearly every large national publication, including: New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, ESPN, New York Post, PEOPLE, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, CBS, Axios, and more. Campfire founder and comedy writer, Jon Savitt, was interviewed and profiled in several news and TV outlets. Minnesota’s Governor (Tim Walz) even added the URL to his social media profile bios. The icing on the cake? “NBA on TNT” even ran a national segment about the URL after game 1 of the Timberwolves vs. Mavericks series — which included Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal joking back and forth.
All in all, the campaign resulted in hundreds of millions of organic impressions across print, digital, and TV mediums. Minnesota’s tourism site saw over a 200% increase in traffic while gaining thousands of social media followers. The governor even declared a state-wide holiday (Wolves Back Day) to celebrate the increased press and traffic.
And what did we get from it? Well, we made Shaq laugh — that’s more than enough for us.
Mentioned on NPR’s “Wait…Wait…Don’t tell me!”
THE EVIDENCE
THE DATA
500 million+ total organic impressions in 72 hours
200%+ increase in traffic to Minnesota’s tourism website
Thousands of new followers for ‘Explore MN’
Coverage and interviews in 20+ national outlets
Government adoption & recognition
TNT national TV spotlight (with Shaq!)
THE TAKEAWAY
“Safe” rarely shapes history. Minnesota businesses and government agencies understood this and acted without hesitation to turn an ordinary moment into an extraordinary tourism campaign — successfully drawing visitors while breaking advertising records.
