Turning World Cup & Knicks Championship Excitement into Local Awareness for Champs Sports

Champs Sports opened Fan Central Station, a World Cup pop-up in Midtown Manhattan, to build awareness for the brand among New York locals, tourists and sports fans. Running from May 30 through July 20, 2026, WITHIN’s challenge was to capitalize on World Cup excitement and use media to drive awareness throughout the tournament. When the Knicks won the NBA Championship mid-flight, a new opportunity for awareness arose.

WITHIN needed to create visibility beyond the storefront itself. We built a media mix designed to stand out in that crowded environment, reach people across the city, and drive repeated awareness of the retail location.

The campaign included ESPN Radio live endorsements in collaboration with Good Karma Sports, branded digital trucks across Midtown, Penn Station, Times Square, and the West Village, OOH across high-traffic commuter areas like Penn Station, and geo-targeted Meta campaigns featuring World Cup-specific influencer creative.

Rather than spend evenly throughout the summer, WITHIN concentrated budget around the moments when fan attention and foot traffic were highest, including the VIP launch event, the first matches and U.S. opener, group stage elimination dates, semifinals, and the final.

That approach also gave the campaign room to react when another major sports moment took over New York. When the Knicks won the NBA Championship mid-flight, WITHIN had already worked with vendors to have an action plan based on the series’ outcome. Within 24 hours, ESPN Radio reads were running Knicks-focused host-read content, digital trucks were rotating between Knicks championship and World Cup gear imagery, and custom Knicks Meta ads were launched; positioning Fan Central Station as a destination for victory gear while maintaining its World Cup presence. The campaign then carried that content to the Knicks parade, expanding Fan Central Station’s relevance beyond the World Cup and into another major moment for New York sports fans.

ESPN Radio live endorsements delivered 3.27M impressions, 28% above projection, as New York listenership climbed through the Knicks’ title run. WITHIN’s adaptability allowed Champs to meet that larger audience with a timely reason to visit the pop-up for championship gear. 

Geo-targeted Meta ads added 7M impressions within a one-mile radius of the pop-up, keeping Champs in front of fans already moving through Midtown. OOH extended that reach through an estimated 2.7M adult impressions from Penn Station placements, and digital trucks took custom routes around the city, positioning the pop-up as a New York sports destination through the biggest moments of the World Cup and NBA Finals.