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Dive Brief:
Dick’s Sporting Goods is broadening its content ambitions with the launch of a new in-house studio centered on sports storytelling, according to a press release.
Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios will focus on telling inspiring athlete stories and examining the impact of sports on culture. The official announcement aligns with the unit’s latest release, a documentary chronicling the 2024 Little League World Series that was produced in partnership with Imagine Entertainment and MLB Studios.
Dick’s is expanding its internal content capabilities after building up a catalog over the last decade-plus that has included five feature-length films and two Sports Emmy wins. Meanwhile, consumer interest in sports continues to diversify, providing rich opportunities for marketers.
Dive Insight:
Dick’s is doubling down on its in-house content initiative with the formal unveiling of Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios. Marketers are betting on original programming to establish a foothold in important cultural spaces and develop a deeper connection to their core customers. Demand for sports content remains high, and approximately 40% of surveyed CMOs plan to hike their investments in the category this year despite ongoing challenges in assessing return-on-investment, according to Forrester data.
Dick’s has been pumping out original work in the sports arena since 2014, when it released its first feature-length documentary, titled “We Could Be King.” That film went on to win the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary while Dick’s has continued to draw industry accolades since. “The Turnaround,” a documentary short from 2024 that examined how a Phillies superfan helped to turn around the team’s fortunes, recently led to Dick’s second Sports Emmy win.
The company is promoting Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios more heavily in the lead-up to its latest output, “Big Dreams: The Little League World Series 2024,” which premieres on ESPN on Aug. 12. The film is indicative of the type of content Dick’s is looking to produce more of through Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios, said Rebecca Covington, senior director of creative production, in a statement.
Cookie Jar & A Dream Studios takes its name from a piece of Dick’s company lore, wherein founder Dick Stack borrowed $300 from his grandmother’s savings, which were kept in a cookie jar, to jump-start the business.
Dick’s has been on a winning streak in a tumultuous time for retail, delivering five straight quarters of comparable growth above 4%. The sporting goods retailer in May said it would acquire Foot Locker, a top rival, for $2.4 billion.
Other retailers are stepping up their efforts in the areas of film and TV as the worlds of content and marketing converge. Macy’s in March acquired the exclusive option to develop a best-selling nonfiction book about the women who shaped department stores into a scripted series.