As Academy Sports + Outdoors expanded its retail footprint, each new store opening represented an opportunity to introduce the brand to an entirely new community. While grand opening events generated excitement on opening day, Academy wanted a scalable way to extend awareness before, during and after each launch while building credibility with local audiences. The brand turned to Gunpowder to develop an influencer program that would create authentic, community-driven content and position Academy as the go-to destination for sports and outdoor enthusiasts.
Performance PR
Event Management
Drive awareness and excitement around new store openings while introducing Academy's broad assortment, private label brands and family-first shopping experience to new local audiences.
Develop and execute a hyper-local influencer program that partnered with trusted creators in each market to generate authentic, lifestyle-driven content before and after every grand opening. Rather than focusing solely on the ribbon cutting, the program evolved to support broader go-to-market priorities including seasonal campaigns, key product categories and major retail moments.
Gunpowder identified, vetted and managed local creators across each market, coordinating content that showcased Academy through the lens of the local community. Influencers highlighted everything from back-to-school shopping and Father's Day gifts to fishing, camping, hunting, grilling and family recreation, reinforcing Academy's position as a one-stop destination for outdoor fun.
The program generated a diverse mix of Reels, Stories and in-feed content that reached highly- engaged local audiences while communicating Academy's key messages around value, product selection, convenience and accessibility.
