Fanatics Collectibles Imagined Tom Brady as a Baseball Legend

What if NFL G.O.A.T. Tom Brady—drafted as a catcher by MLB's Montreal Expos (now the Washington Nationals) in 1995—had pursued baseball over football?

For most, it's a "Who Cares?"-type question. But Fanatics Collectibles poses this very inquiry in an entertaining, in-jokey campaign developed with agency Flower Shop.

Hall of Famers (and former Expos) Pedro Martinez, Vlad Guerrero Sr. and Larry Walker make cameos, along with Tom himself. There's lots of fun, fannish world-building, plus impressive Easter eggs. All of which feels just right for the brand and its target audience. 

"We developed the creative for a couple months knowing that Brady was a friend of the brand," Fanatics Collectibles VP, brand marketing Andrew Goodman tells Muse. "We were able to bring it to him, and he was very quickly in. Once he said yes, we were off to the races and shooting a couple weeks later."

IRL, football Brady wore No. 12, so the campaign drops across social today, 12/12. To celebrate Tom's multiverse heroics—including three MLB MVP trophies and seven World Series rings—the man gets his own Topps 2023 Bowman Draft baseball card, too. (Fanatics owns Topps.)

Are we sure Tom didn't moonlight behind home plate every now and then? Catchers wear masks, so who knows?

The depth of detail in the Brady’s Brasserie sequence is stunning. It's almost too much to take in at one viewing, and might confuse those who aren't familiar with Tom's career and sports in general.

Of course, this was made for rabid fans: folks who live and die with each game, those who treasure collectible cards, jerseys, programs and autographs like family jewels.

For them, this approach will feel like a touchdown. Er, home run. Whichever. 

"When we were setting up the bar scene and seeing all the newspaper clippings, memorabilia and assets that production had built, it was like it was real," Goodman recalls. "Vlad, Larry and Pedro couldn't believe it when they walked on set, saw the championship rings and sat down at that bar table."

"We had 13 minutes to get everything we needed with Tom Brady," recalls Al Merry, Flower Shop co-founder/CCO. That included a car salesman sequence, some lines in French and a pretend wakeup scene—"one of the toughest moves in acting."

In the process, the crew discovered that the super-QB "is capable of a 34-second wardrobe change," Merry says.

"Even though in this instance we have a leg up [in terms of viewer interest] with Tom, the idea still has to be fresh and unexpected to be worth someone's precious time," adds agency co-founder/CEO Mary Lou Bunn. "We hope the campaign is one that fans genuinely love, but ultimately everyday people will be the judge. That’s who we're making it for."

CREDITS

Agency: Flower Shop
Founder, CCO: Al Merry
Founder, CEO: Mary Lou Bunn
Copywriter: Reuben Hower
Art Director: Nate Able 
Executive Producer: Benton Roman
Design: Rob Fleming 
Project Manager: Rachel Moser
Strategy: Mark Aronson
Creative Consultant: Matthew Waxman 
Head of PR: Elizabeth Hess
CFO: Bill Afonso

Client: Fanatics Collectibles
CEO: Mike Mahan
Chief Marketing Officer: Ken Turner
VP, Brand Marketing: Andrew Goodman
VP, Content, Platforms, Community: Brian Terwilliger
Senior Brand Manager: Corey Plunkett

Business Affairs: Hailstorm
CEO: Michelle McKinney
Business Affairs Director: Alice Isner 

Production Company: Even/Odd
Director: Andy Madeleine
Managing Director: Justin Lomax
Head of Production: Taylor Feltner
Producer: Rodney Byerson
Director of Photography: Evan Trout
Production Designer: Aurélie Taillefer

Editorial: The Den
Editor: Christjan Jordan
Cutting Assistant: Jake Swartz 
Managing Director: Laura Macauley
Sr. Executive Producer: Jennifer Mersis
Head of Production: Amanda Ornelas
Sr. Producer:  Kortney Rubottom

VFX: Parliament
VFX Supervisor: Jade Kim
Creative Lead: Eric Mason
Creative Team: Tim Miller
Production Team: Enca Kaul, Adam Polich

Color Studio: Royal Muster
Executive Producer: Thatcher Peterson
Colorist: Gregory Reese
Color Assistants: Esli Israel, Zack Wilpon
Producer: Matthew Fulton

Sound Design & Mix: Barking Owl
Sound Design & Mix: Stuart St. Vincent Welch 
Creative Director: Kelly Bayett & Johanna Cranitch 
Executive Producer: Ashley Benton

Geaux Brady, Song: The Happy Wanderer
Written by: Friedrich-Wilhelm Möller & Antonia Ridge
Publisher: Warner Chappell

Geaux Brady, Music Arrangement: Barking Owl
Composer: Jacob Plasse
Creative Director: Kelly Bayett & Johanna Cranitch 
Executive Producer - Ashley Benton

Brady Auto, Original Music: BUTTER Music and Sound 
CCO/Composer: Andrew Sherman
EP: Renee Masse 
ECD: Dan Zank 
Associate Producer: Becky Mathai 
Music Coordinator: Anneliese Daley