Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell

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Following a highly successful 2020 campaign, Nick Kyrgios has again joined forces with Old El Paso in 2021 to bring back the #MessFreeChallenge. This time he’s created a basketball Slam Dunk version of the viral challenge, to prove the Tortilla Pockets truly deliver on mess-free Mexican, in a new global campaign created by Thinkerbell.

 

Holding an Old El Paso Tortilla Pocket in one hand and basketball in the other, Kyrgios delighted his 1.7 million followers with a monstrous slam dunk to begin the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge with a bang.

Following his performance in Wimbledon in July, it wasn’t long until his Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge to fight food insecurity won the hearts of the basketball community in Australia. The social media movement quickly gained traction with big local names like Andrew Bogut and Lauren Jackson.

Soon after the campaign swelled in Australia, Kyrgios’ slam dunk inspired professional basketballers across the world to share their own Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge with international stars like Tony Parker (FRA), Temi Fagbenle (UK), Andre Drummond (USA) and Andrew Wiggins (CAN) and many more picking up the challenge.

30,000 Mexican meal kits were committed by Kyrgios to Foodbank Australia via his NK Foundation and for every further share of Kyrgios’ slam dunk challenge on Instagram, a further donation of 1 Mexican meal product was made. Every fan that posted their own #MessFreeChallenge inspired dunk also helped donate 10 Mexican meal products.

Says Kyrgios: “After the success of the 2020 #MessFreeChallenge, I wanted to be able to continue giving back. Everybody knows I love basketball and so this time round I’ve switched courts to again partner with my favourite Old El Paso to take it up a notch, from hitting tweeners with the no-spill Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets from last time, to now dunking mess-free with these pockets.”

Old El Paso had the ambition to inspire as many people as possible to showcase their creativity for a great cause and more than double their donations in Australia, versus last year’s challenge of 20,000 food donations. During the campaign period from July through to August, 65,000 food donations were provided to Foodbank Australia and 200,000 food donations were committed to food banks worldwide too.

Says Rafa Husain, brand experience manager for Australia, Old El Paso: “We were very excited at the prospect of reuniting again with an inspirational personality like Nick Kyrgios, who shares our mission to be a force for good. He has helped us take the #MessFreeChallenge to the next level and we’ve been ecstatic to see the uptake off the back of Nick’s mess-free slam dunk efforts. Not only in Australia, but with basketball stars, fans and consumers across the world, who are binding together to help us combat food insecurity.”

The Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets come in an 8-Pack (RRP $4.75), or as a Tortilla Pocket Kit, which includes a seasoning mix and salsa (RRP $7.50). Old El Paso Tortilla Pockets are stocked in all major supermarkets.

Client – General Mills:
Arjoon Bose – Head of Brand, Experience & Culture – General Mills (EUAU)
Bryan Diehl – Regional Brand Experience Manager – Old El Paso (EUAU)
Audrey Noel – Regional Brand Experience Lead – Old El Paso (EUAU)
Bronwyn Cheng – Head of World Foods and Baking (ANZ)
Rafa Husain – Brand Experience Manager – Old El Paso (ANZ)

Australia/Global Creative Agency – Thinkerbell (Creative, PR and influencer):
Chief Creative Tinker, Ben Couzens
Lead Creative Tinker, André Pinheiro
Creative Tinker, Cale Berry
Design Tinker, Jack Dinsmoor
Chief Thinker, Adam Ferrier
Head Thinker, Jessica Graham
Thinker, Jiaan Koch
Thinker, Rosie Bourke
Lead Thinker – Earned, Taylor York 
Thinker – Earned, Charlie Marchant
Head Production Tinker, Di Nash
Production Tinker, Katie Ayling
Production Tinker, Alexis Cook
Editor, Terry Mann

European Creative Agency – Space
Associate Director: Sean Kelly
Account Director: Louis Collin
Head of Brand Experience: Jim Carless
Brand Experience Producer: Samantha Hardy
Executive Creative Director: Greg McAlinden
Creative Head: Ethan Kennedy
Designer: Georgina Martin
Video/Editing: Justin Batchelor

Production: Brightworks

Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell Nick Kyrgios challenges basketball stars to the Old El Paso Slam Dunk #MessFreeChallenge in new global campaign via Thinkerbell