Director Tony Petrossian Crosses Borders and Platforms for Top 3 Sport Retailer Sportmaster

Director Tony Petrossian has delivered the latest in a lineup of eye-catching commercials, billboards and print ads for Sportmaster, a Top 3 European sports retailer. The campaigns exhibit Tony Petrossian’s ability to engage audiences while thoughtfully communicating brand messages across platforms and borders. 

Director Tony Petrossian’s current work with Sportmaster commenced mid last year. It was then that he was tapped to helm a campaign promoting the Sportmaster lineup of officially licensed sports merchandise for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, to be held in Sochi, Russia. 

Camping for Sportmaster (Directed by Tony Petrossian) from Tony Petrossian on Vimeo.

“Soon everyone will be talking about Sochi, as the Games approach,” predicts Tony Petrossian. “I am honored to have been involved in building that buzz to any degree.” 

Since then he has continued delivering spots and ads for the company highlighting various equipment and apparel brands sold by Sportmaster. Shooting these commercials and ads have taken Petrossian across the US and Europe. 

“These campaigns have been great at stoking my creativity on all levels,” shares Petrossian. “Crafting TV commercials, billboards & print ads that feel cohesive is one thing, but making all of this work effectively in many different languages and cultures for a giant European retailer elevates the challenge to a higher level.” 

To do this, Petrossian needed to deliver multiple versions as Sportmaster, the 12th largest sports retailer in the world, has a big presence in a diverse lingual lineup of European countries including 300 superstores in Russia alone. However, shooting completely different spots for each language would have presented a budgetary roadblock. 

So Petrossian nabs the audience’s attention with eye-catching imagery that also delivers the brand’s value propositions supported only by minimal copy and graphics which could easily be adjusted for different languages. 

Treadmill Girls directed by Tony Petrossian from Tony Petrossian on Vimeo.

The results have been fun spots like one showing a group of friends literally being lifted above bad weather by their weatherproof jackets so they can finish playing a game, or another that cleverly likens crawling into a sleeping bag in a tent to snuggling in bed at home. 

“My goal here is to show how the gear supports the fun and function of each activity,” notes director Tony Petrossian. “For example, in one case I was tasked with highlighting how premium workout clothes can equate to a better workout. Rather than lose the audience with a pile of technical info about heat dissipation impact on human caloric conversion, I created a moment about two fit women working out side by side on a treadmill and injected it with a touch of humor. No dialog or voice over, just a few simple graphics.” 

Petrossian is already hard at work on the next Sportmaster campaign for delivery this summer. 

Tony Petrossian is a visionary commercial and music video director who has worked with top talent and brands around the world. His mastery of visual illusions combined with a keen storytelling sense have garnered him clients ranging from Nike, McDonald’s and Sony Ericsson to artists including Taking Back Sunday, Rise Against, Slipknot, Ludacris, and DMX. Petrossian's groundbreaking work has earned numerous nominations and shiny awards. His experience and body of work in the United States and across the globe make him an internationally sought-after helmer. For more information about Tony Petrossian visit http://www.TonyPetrossian.com.