a collab built for the next generation of fans
it started as a schedule release video, the fans turned it into something bigger.
the challenge:
nfl fandom used to be passed down through generations when homes had only one screen, but that era is long gone.
My goal was simple: make the Chicago Bears cool again. Not relevant in a press release way, but relevant in a "a 19-year-old in Chicago actually wants to rep this" way.
The origins:
The partnership with Lyrical Lemonade started as a schedule release video built around Chicago and its music festival culture. Then COVID19 hit, fans were banned from stadiums, and I started thinking differently. I pitched a clothing collaboration — Bears leadership pushed back, pointing to Fanatics as our existing apparel partner. I argued that a Fanatics drop is copy-paste sportswear. This would be something a young Chicagoan actually wants to own. The green light didn't come from a convincing deck — it came from the comment section. When the schedule release video dropped, fans flooded it demanding merch. That was the proof of concept!
the Strategy:
Over the next five months I worked closely with Lyrical Lemonade to develop the collection — navigating approvals through the Bears and the NFL league office. we architected it as a Fan Pipeline, built to pull three distinct audiences into the same moment through different cultural entry points:
Gen z + Gen Alpha
Cole bennett’s visual language defines hip hop’s next generation
+He and his team are Lifelong Bears Fans
= Credibility you can’t Manufacture
love for streetwear
five limited pieces including a letterman jacket designed by LL’s designer Jake Brode (JB).
This wasn’t licensed sportswear, but pieces young fans actually wanted to wear and collect
For Chicago by Chicago
Featuring Chicago’s own, G Herbo and Lucki, we grounded the campaign in the city’s identity rather than a brand playbook.
Results that matter:
In 1 hour
letterman jacket sold out
24 hours
entire collection sold out
of purchasers were new buyers
of bears merch
63%
The Lesson
The sellout wasn’t the win... 63% of buyers had never purchased bears merch before.
Thats not a campaign result — thats a new generation of fans.
The nfl noticed too, our blueprint became the model for how clubs approached culture-first collaborations league wide.
