Golfers Rituals Get Results in American Century Investments Spot

TiNY, a new micro creative agency co-founded by industry veterans Tom Christmann, Mike Rovner, and Michael Stoopack, announces the launch of its first major campaign for American Century Investments. The campaign is set to debut during this weekend’s American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament from July 12-14th on The Golf Channel and NBC. American Century Investments has been the title sponsor of the American Century Championship since 1999.

Set against the backdrop of one of the premiere celebrity golf tournament, the campaign highlights the unique value proposition of American Century: over 40% of the firm’s profits fund life-changing medical research at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research aimed at defeating life-threatening diseases. Throughout the series of 30 comedy spots, the message remains constant – no matter what you're doing, if you invest with American Century, you’re helping reach your financial goals while also benefiting the lives of millions around the world.

The spots – 'Hello, Ball.' and 'Gimme a break.' – are aptly set on a golf course, with golfers performing their own quirky rituals on the tee and on the green. In each scenario, when asked, “What are you doing?” they nonchalantly reply things like, “studying the effects of environmental elements on the human genome” or “decoding the evolution of the gene network’s effect on cell function.” The announcer then explains the premise, giving the character - and the viewer - permission to continue doing what they’re doing, because after all, they’re investing with American Century, so they’re already doing everything they can for themselves and the world around them, so they can go ahead and live a little.

"We are so excited to launch our first major campaign for a brand as purpose driven - and successful - as American Century Investments," said Tom Christmann, co-founder of TiNY. "This work is exactly the kind of authentic and creative storytelling we love to bring to the table."

Mike Rovner, co-founder of TiNY, added, "We love the simplicity of the idea. And by taking ownership of such a commonly used question as ‘what are you doing?’ we make the work relatable, and in the end – human, with a chuckle of course.”

Michael Stoopack, co-founder of TiNY, emphasised the collaborative effort behind the campaign, “When we founded TiNY, we set out to make great work with great clients, and have a great time doing it. Thanks to American Century, that vision came to life with our very first client partner. We love working with them and we love this work.” He also went on to say, "Our success lies in our team's ability to bring together the best talent in the business. From our director (Evan Silver/Reform School) to our editor (Tina Mintus/Carousel) and every production magician who helped us in between, we assembled the best in the business to help us tell a fairly complicated story in a fun, compelling way that makes you look forward to the next one.”*

The American Century Championship, renowned for attracting top names in entertainment and sports, offers a prime opportunity to showcase the new campaign, and usher in the larger platform for the remainder of 2024 and beyond.

TiNY, though newly established, leverages the extensive experience and creative vision of its founders to deliver cutting-edge advertising solutions. With over a century of combined experience and enough awards to sink a sailboat, the TiNY partners rely on their best-in-class network of A-list talent to right-size every scope of work, no matter the project.