Rawlings
Primus NFT
Launching a 137 year old company into the Web3 world.
date. 2022
client. Rawlings
the story.
Dream Syndicate took Rawlings collectible baseball gloves to the next level with this first-of-its-kind NFT drop. Rawlings Sporting Goods, who manufacture the official baseball glove of major league baseball, wanted to future-proof their business by expanding into the emerging market known as “The Metaverse”. But, they needed help navigating the complex landscape of modern technologies, platforms, and marketplaces to identify a suitable entry point. So, we got to work probing any and all possible avenues for Rawlings to grow their physical product-based brand in this new digital-only space. We developed strategies for utilizing Augmented Reality in pre and post-sale consumer engagement, growing brand recognition through activations in networked socialized gaming platforms, and opening up a brand new avenue of brand engagement and sales through the Web3 space – which was ultimately the best fit for Rawlings’ goals. Thus was born the Rawlings PRIMUS NFT collection – a limited edition series of 461 NFTs tied to real-life baseball gloves – featuring four tiers of rarity, individually stamped models, and one-of-a-kind designs for both the NFTs and physical glove collectibles. The ultra-rare, limited edition physical gloves were designed and manufactured exclusively for this NFT drop, and will never be made again.
The spring, summer, and fall seasons in Philadelphia are filled with outdoor events. Knowing this, we made an effort to have the bench at every event possible, which sometimes meant sneaking it into events at first. And sometimes getting kicked out of those events. However, most places welcomed it. People were intrigued by it. We captured pictures and stories, then shared those on social along with the #YOUANDMEBENCH hashtag. After only a few outings, we had a local TV station that wanted to feature the story on their programming. After that, every media outlet in the city wanted to cover it. People from other cities were reaching out to know where it would be? At which event? Can we bring it to their city? Can we take our engagement photos on it?
My favorite part of this project, beside the incredible client who trusted me, was that originally I had reached out to the city of Philadelphia's public art commission to inquire about implementing the bench as a permanent figure somewhere in the city. The person on the phone laughed at me. Exactly six months later, after a weekend event that featured the bench at City Hall, I was put back in touch with that person who was directed to approve the bench as permanent art installation in the city of Philadelphia. The icing on the cake? I was able to choose where I'd like to have it. Well, what better place for a bench that celebrates relationships than Jewelers Row - where people go to celebrate their relationships? And not just anywhere on Jewelers Row. I submitted to have it exist right in front of Safian & Rudolph, the client's store.
The spring, summer, and fall seasons in Philadelphia are filled with outdoor events. Knowing this, we made an effort to have the bench at every event possible, which sometimes meant sneaking it into events at first. And sometimes getting kicked out of those events. However, most places welcomed it. People were intrigued by it. We captured pictures and stories, then shared those on social along with the #YOUANDMEBENCH hashtag. After only a few outings, we had a local TV station that wanted to feature the story on their programming. After that, every media outlet in the city wanted to cover it. People from other cities were reaching out to know where it would be? At which event? Can we bring it to their city? Can we take our engagement photos on it?
My favorite part of this project, beside the incredible client who trusted me, was that originally I had reached out to the city of Philadelphia's public art commission to inquire about implementing the bench as a permanent figure somewhere in the city. The person on the phone laughed at me. Exactly six months later, after a weekend event that featured the bench at City Hall, I was put back in touch with that person who was directed to approve the bench as permanent art installation in the city of Philadelphia. The icing on the cake? I was able to choose where I'd like to have it. Well, what better place for a bench that celebrates relationships than Jewelers Row - where people go to celebrate their relationships? And not just anywhere on Jewelers Row. I submitted to have it exist right in front of Safian & Rudolph, the client's store.
