Elvis Merzlikins
The Challenge
Helping an Elite Goaltender Connect with his Community.
Elvis Merzlikins is a Latvian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.
Hailing from Latvia, Elvis found himself in a new city with a new contract – Columbus was going to be his new home. Missing the support from his fans back home, Elvis wanted to build a similar community here with the Blue Jackets. Envision helped bring a unique creative perspective to his brand, focused on showcasing his journey throughout the season. Our cinematic approach to telling his story highlighted his best moments, on and off the ice – and his new audience welcomed him with open arms.
What We Did: A Summary
A Personal Approach, A Long-Term Vision.
At Envision, our main focus is to understand the many facets of the individual behind the brand; from their goals and vision to their ambition.
For Elvis, our solution centered around the main elements in his life, family, hockey and his new home – Columbus. We went in-depth to understand what drives Elvis and developed a brand strategy that would help him achieve his goals outside his efforts in the NHL.
Brand Consulting & Development
Elvis had a clear vision of what direction he wanted his brand to go – but lacked the structure, resources and manpower to execute on what was needed to get there. As Envision came into the picture, we were able to sit down with Elvis and better understand what this entailed. From there we took these ideas and built a clear, step-by-step plan of attack to accomplish these goals to then support and execute on his overall vision.
Creative Storytelling
At the core of what we do, Creative Storytelling is how we define brands and communicate with your audiences. By shedding light on the different aspects of Elvis’ life, we were able to create a genuine, meaningful connection with his audiences. Piece by piece, we captured his journey throughout the season, from his highlights as a goalie to introducing his son to the world as a new father. Our approach helped form a unique, story-driven brand that people could relate to, through which Elvis was able to build a strong community and fanbase.
Creative Brand Exploration
Elvis is a pretty creative athlete – and wanted to explore different forms of art to express his brand. We worked collaboratively to develop multiple assets as needed – from cartoons that brought a humorous aspect to his brand, to more interesting works like helping design the interior of his suit for a special ceremony. As the season progressed, we essentially provided a seamless process from creative ideation to execution, adding elements that made his brand truly unique.
Venture Support
Taking our ability to ideate and execute to the next level, we worked with Elvis to help form a vehicle through which he could give back to Columbus – the same fans and community that welcomed him. The Merzlikins Foundation was born to introduce and support young hockey players not only in his new home, but globally. Still in development, we look to launch and create an impact with this non-profit in late 2022 – and utilize his platform and presence to create real change.
01. Defining the Path
Brand Consulting & Development
A father, husband, dog-lover, car fan, athlete – there was so much more to Elvis than his performance on the ice. After our initial discussions, he found that his current brand was linear and lacked a more personal touch that would separate him from other athlete brands.
Elvis had a clear vision of what direction he wanted his brand to go – but lacked the structure, resources and manpower to execute on what was needed to get there. As Envision came into the picture, we were able to sit down with Elvis and better understand what this entailed. From there we took these ideas and built a clear, step-by-step plan of attack to accomplish these goals to then support and execute on his overall vision.
02. Bringing Elvis' Story to Light
Creative Storytelling
At the core of what we do, Creative Storytelling is how we define brands and communicate with your audiences. By shedding light on the different aspects of Elvis’ life, we were able to create a genuine, meaningful connection with his audiences.
Piece by piece, we captured his journey throughout the season, from his highlights as a goalie to introducing his son to the world as a new father. Our approach helped form a unique, story-driven brand that people could relate to, through which Elvis was able to build a strong community and fanbase.
Merzlikins Signed
Welcome Back!
First NHL Win
Baby Reveal!
Year 2 Begins
Mid-Season Reel
Up
For Kivi
The Joker
03. Diverse Brand Applications
Creative Brand Exploration
As the NHL season progressed, we essentially provided a seamless process from creative ideation to execution, developing unique elements that made his brand truly unique.
Elvis always had new ideas for interpretations of his brand – and wanted to explore different forms of art to represent him. We worked collaboratively to develop multiple assets as needed; from cartoons that brought a humorous aspect to his brand, to more interesting works like helping design the interior of his suit for a special ceremony.
04. Coming Soon!
Venture Development & Management
Taking our ability to ideate and execute to the next level, we worked with Elvis to help form a vehicle through which he could give back to Columbus – the same fans and community that welcomed him. The Merzlikins Foundation was born to introduce and support young hockey players not only in his new home, but globally. Still in development, we look to launch and create an impact with this non-profit in late 2022 – and utilize his platform and presence to create real change.
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