Experiential / Branding / Strategy / Marketing

Machine Gun Kelly

ESTABLISH THE VISION

A city proclamation wasn’t enough. MGK wanted to celebrate his journey in a way that felt earned — something that honored Cleveland while generating real economic and cultural impact.

The challenge: transform a symbolic day into a scalable, city-wide movement.

THE INSIGHT

Cleveland pride isn’t passive — it’s participatory.

Fans didn’t want to observe MGK Day. They wanted to live inside it.

If structured correctly, this could evolve into recurring cultural infrastructure — not just a one-day event.

Industry

Entertainment

Experiential

Civic Activation

Year

2025

THE STRATEGY

Reimagine “MGK Day” as a multi-day cultural takeover — merging entertainment, charity, nightlife, local business, merch, and civic pride into one cohesive ecosystem.

Build a system, not a single event.

BUILD THE BRAND

We created a rally-cry identity — Cleveland’s Finest — anchored by MGK’s silhouette in hot-pink line art.

The visual system extended across:

Street banners and venue signage
Stage scrims and environmental graphics
Limited-edition merchandise
A roaming pop-up merch van with real-time Instagram clue drops

The city didn’t just host MGK Day — it wore it.

ROLL OUT THE EXPERIENCE

Each day delivered a different entry point into the culture:

Late-night comedy event
League Park invitational
Harley-Davidson ride through downtown
West 6th charity bar crawl
Strategic brand and sponsor integrations
Rapid-turn recap content published within 12 hours

Every activation laddered back to the central narrative: Cleveland’s Finest.

GALVANIZE THE COMMUNITY

Local sponsors — from national energy brands to independent boutiques — activated alongside the campaign.

City officials illuminated Terminal Tower in signature pink on opening night.

Fans traveled from 23 states, transforming sidewalks into spontaneous meet-and-greets and local venues into high-velocity cultural hubs.

OUTCOMES

40,000+ in total attendance

Economic impact in the multi-million-dollar range
National press coverage and trending social momentum
Significant charitable contributions through activation programming towards Cleveland Metropolitan School District
50+ vendors supported from vintage boutiques, merch pop ups, food trucks, and more.

MGK Day transitioned from proclamation to annual cultural institution.

LONG-TERM IMPACT

The event became a repeatable platform — strengthening artist legacy, deepening civic pride, and proving that experiential marketing at city scale can drive measurable economic return.

Underdogs didn’t just produce an event.
We engineered a cultural system.