BfG - Stage One

BREAKING for GOLD (BfG) is the brand which SAI had created for the three-stage qualifying process that aimed to identify the world’s best junior b-boys and b-girls – 12 each – who would get to take part in the 2018 Youth Olympics.

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BfG Stage One did indeed break new ground as it opened up the first ever digital and online pathway to an Olympic Games competition. From 1 May through 31 July 2017, 1,000+ videos were submitted by breakers aged 15 to 17 and from around the world in response to the consistently branded casting calls made through websites and social media.

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The novel format seemed particularly well suited to generate fan engagement and brand awareness ab initio. 800,000 video views and 100,000 social media shares were impressive benchmarks for the short period. Just prior to the submission deadline the BfG platform had to handle over 1,000 requests per minute.

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Based on the online assessments made by an illustrious judging panel in early August, 395 dancers representing 81 nations were invited to Stage Two, the BfG Continental Qualifiers held in the USA (Americas), in Germany (Africa, Europe) and in Chinese Taipei (Asia, Oceania).