Designed to intercept cancer via prevention and screenings, the NFL’s Crucial Catch initiative is a league-wide campaign where clubs will activate on gameday and within their communities throughout the month of October: honoring cancer survivors and remembering those who have battled. In 2023, the Seattle Seahawks touched the hearts of 12s everywhere through their digital storytelling of special guest Gus Johansson: 12 year-old cancer survivor.
Gus and his family were hosted for the entire weekend, kicking off with a practice walkthrough at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center. Coach Carroll named Gus as an honorary captain for the Crucial Catch game, and also broke the news to him that he’d be raising the 12 Flag on gameday.
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), another longstanding partner for the Seahawks, sponsored the Crucial Catch game and helped make the Seahawks’ community outreach and fundraising towards the Crucial Catch Fund possible. Executives from both the Seahawks and VMFH held an honorary flag raising at Lumen Field to kick off October, and VMFH helped facilitate a Patient & Physician practice visit prior to gameday. On gameday, in-game elements included goal post wraps and the symbolic ringing a VMFH remission bell by former patients. And after a Seahawks win, mascot Blitz and various players delivered the game ball to a local VMFH hospital.
The Seahawks supplemented their Social storytelling around Gus on the written side: publishing both launch and recap articles for the month as well as captioned galleries from the team’s community engagements. In addition, the arches of Lumen Field were lit various colors to represent support for survivors of each cancer type: furthering the message that offense is the best defense when it comes to cancer.
Role: Campaign Strategy, Media Planning, On-Asset Copy, Project Management
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Kelsey Mihachik 