Ellerbe Becket, one of the world’s oldest and largest design firms, has launched a 2003 advertising campaign that capitalizes on anecdotal stories gleaned from two decades of sports facility design.
For instance, by far the most intriguing aspect of Guangdong Olympic Stadium in China is the roof that appears to float above the seating bowl. How did the firm come up with the idea? During a lunchtime brainstorm, the warped shape of a potato chip inspired lead designer Mike Sabatini. “I grabbed a handful and went to work,” he said. The result was an award-winning stadium that hosted last year’s Chinese National Games.
Ellerbe Becket’s in-house environmental graphics and marketing staffs took note and created a series of 14 ads that began running in February 2003.
The now infamous Terrell Owens football signing incident on Monday Night Football is the subject of one of the ads. After signing the ball, the 49ers’ Owens handed it to his financial advisor sitting in one of Seahawks Stadium’s “redzone suites.” The ad, tag-lined “Signature Design,” goes on to detail how Seahawks Stadium is the only NFL facility offering the unique suites in the stadium’s north endzone.
“For 15 years we’ve been designing structures that sell tickets and foster exciting new traditions,” says Dave Orlowski, managing principal of Ellerbe Becket’s sports practice. “Along the way, we’ve learned some valuable lessons that are reflected in this campaign.”
One such lesson is how the firm dealt with a hill smack in the middle of the site for the new University of Maryland basketball arena. Ellerbe Becket designers set the arena into the hillside, giving the seats on one end a steeper pitch. It’s the feature that sets Comcast Center apart from all others: the “cliff.” The 1,850-seat student section at one end of the court has a slope of 34.3 degrees, making it “clifflike” and potentially more daunting to opposing teams who must shoot at that basket during the second half.
“Our knowledge of technology is the best in the industry,” says Orlowski. “With this as a foundation, anything can spark an idea.”
Like the concept for the Bank One Ballpark ad. Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix was the country’s first retractable roof stadium. Tag-lined “15,000 tons of SPF,” the ad tells how the push of a button can close the roof in ten minutes, shielding players and fans from the oppressive Arizona heat.
The ads will run in publications such as Stadia, Sports Business Journal and Seat magazine. Additional campaign components, including direct mail and posters, will be added to the marketing mix to reach prospective customers and stimulate additional creativity internally.
An innovator since its founding in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is a leader in architecture, engineering and the construction industry with office locations worldwide.
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