Bombas: The Rivalry That Gives Back
ADBR 441 - Integrated Campaign
Silver ADDY Award Winner, Augusta American Advertising Federation
The Problem
Gen Z audiences, especially college students, are becoming increasingly resistant to performative brand messaging. They want brands to prove their values through visible action and measurable impact rather than surface-level statements. At the same time, Bombas, despite donating over 150 million essential items, still lacks strong awareness among college audiences.
The Solution
To connect Bombas’ mission with student culture, we created The Rivalry That Gives Back, a fully integrated experiential campaign that transforms college rivalries into a movement for social good. The campaign uses campus pride, sports culture, and friendly competition to encourage participation through vending machine activations, live donation leaderboards, social media challenges, microsites, guerrilla marketing, and experiential pop-ups. Every purchase, tagged post, and campus interaction contributes to real donations for local shelters, proving that rivalry can fuel meaningful community impact. Through this campaign, Bombas becomes more than a clothing brand. It becomes a catalyst for collective action powered by Gen Z participation.
Sock Vending Machine
Campus pop up vending machines designed to turn school rivalry into measurable impact. Each purchase contributes to local shelter donations while updating the live campus leaderboard in real time, connecting student participation directly to Bombas’ giving mission.
Instagram Story
Interactive Instagram Stories designed to turn campus rivalry into real time participation. Polls, donation trackers, and school specific messaging encourage students to engage, share, and compete while driving traffic to the live Bombas leaderboard and donation system.
Top Contributor Spotlights Story
Weekly Instagram Spotlight Stories created to reward student participation and turn campus engagement into social recognition. Featured contributors gain visibility through Bombas’ social channels, encouraging ongoing content creation, rivalry participation, and community driven competition throughout the campaign.
Campaign Video
Short form campaign video created to establish the emotional core of The Rivalry That Gives Back. The piece connects campus pride, student culture, and Bombas’ giving mission through energetic storytelling designed for stadium screens, social platforms, and experiential campaign touchpoints.