New Era Cap - Maximizing the impact of a headwear icon - The Martin Group

Maximizing the impact of a headwear icon.

Challenge

A partner for nearly 20 years, New Era Cap, an iconic global sports and lifestyle brand, leans on The Martin Group’s expertise to amplify its brand through innovative campaigns merging sports, fashion, and culture. On the creative side, this includes more than 40 programs, 15 video/photo shoots, and 10,000 assets managed and produced yearly, as New Era has evolved from a cap manufacturer to a global lifestyle brand.

Our public relations experience dates back five years and regularly helps position New Era at the intersection of sports and culture, including multiple major 2024 initiatives such as the 70th anniversary of the legendary 59FIFTY fitted cap, the launch of the 2024 MLB Batting Practice collection, and new partnership with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, the NHL and the NFL Scouting Combine. For these campaigns and others, The Martin Group utilized strategic product seeding to drive awareness, celebrate New Era’s rich history, highlight its cultural significance, and generate excitement for its latest products.

Solution

For the 70th Anniversary Campaign, The Martin Group conducted in-depth research with New Era’s brand historian to highlight the 59FIFTY cap’s legacy in both sports and culture. Targeted media pitches were developed, securing placements in key outlets such as Complex, Hypebeast, and MLB.com. Additionally, The Martin Group secured local engagement with a “59FIFTY Day” proclamation in Buffalo, N.Y., while coordinating public relations efforts around the release of the “The 59FIFTY Story” documentary during MLB All-Star Week.

For the 2024 MLB Batting Practice Collection launch, The Martin Group created storytelling-driven media materials that tied each team’s cap design to its unique history. The campaign was executed with a phased launch, building excitement through targeted media outreach, social buzz, and product seeding. These efforts successfully generated awareness and excitement for New Era’s milestones and product offerings.

Results

Using influencer seeding and strategic partnerships to further drive visibility with celebrities and cultural icons showcasing New Era products – as well as our consistent, strategic media relations outreach – The Martin Group continues to exceed objectives. The two campaigns described above yielded nearly $1.2 million in publicity value alone and complemented New Era’s efforts with paid media to position the brand as a cutting-edge tastemaker in sports and fashion.