Dmont's Efforts to Help The Argonauts, Idea #1: "2-Kool"

**dmont** · 07-18-2022, 04:11 PM

Viral marketing campaign: “2-Kool”

Find a local, up-and-coming comedian to play the role of “2-Kool” in a recurring series of viral videos. 2-Kool is just that: he is too cool for anything that isn’t the best in the world. Despite his snobbery, 2-Kool isn’t particularly impressive, himself. He brags about expensive brands and name-drops world-renown celebrities, but his clothes, jewelery, and sunglasses are cheap and low-quality. He is very much a wannabe who can’t resist putting down everyone and everything that isn’t part of the social strata for which he longs. 2-Kool represents anyone in Toronto who puts down the Toronto Argonauts for not being cool enough.

Episode 1: 2-Kool and a Toronto Argonauts player (let’s say Henoc Muamba, for example) are standing in the middle of Dundas Square. 2-Kool is wearing supposedly cool and hip clothes, but ones that look cheap. He is a poser. To twist the knife a little, 2-Kool’s clothing features some of the logos of non-Toronto rival sports teams (Detroit redwings, tampa lightning, MTL Canadiens, etc). Over the course of the episode, Henoc points out the cool and interesting things about Dundas Square, including lots of interesting trivia that Torontonians can be proud of. Every time Henoc does this, however, 2-Kool jumps in with a snide put-down; for instance, coming up with a reason why Times Square in NY or Shibuya crossing in Tokyo are so… much… COOLER. Henoc (who represents all the proud people of Toronto in the eposide) expresses annoyance but otherwise remains civil (ie. “Come on, 2-Kool…” or “Aw, you kidding me, 2-Kool?”). This goes on, turning the audience completely against 2-Kool and firmly in support of Henoc. Finally, 2-Kool asks Henoc “… by the way, what do you do again?” Henoc, suddenly looking a little bit stern/warning/menacing (as if he’s expecting an insult), replies “Starting middle linebacker, Toronto Argonauts.”

2-Kool: “Toronto Argonauts?”

Henoc: “Yeah.”

2-Kool: “CFL?”

Henoc: “That’s right.”

2-Kool: (makes a quiet mocking chuckle, puts on an insolent grin, and takes a breath to begin one of his put-downs)

Cut to a video of 2-Kool upside down in a garbage can with Henoc walking away in the background. From inside the garbage can, 2-Kool can be heard continuing his annoying wannabe/poser comments as if Henoc is still there listening.

Words appear on the screen: “The Toronto Argonauts. Welcome aboard… unless you’re 2-Kool.” With one last sound bite in 2-Kool’s annoying voice saying “TooOOOoooOOOoooo Cool!”

The idea: The Toronto Argonauts have long tried to make Torontonians think they’re cool, that they belong on the same level of consciousness as the Leafs and Raptors, etc. To a large extent, it hasn’t worked and it will never work with that certain snobby-wannabe streak that runs through the city. Stop trying to be cool and turn it on it’s head. “We’re not cool… we’re Toronto’s football team… and what the F makes you think you’re too cool for us?” Nobody likes a poser or a wannabe, and everybody DREADS being called out as one, so the audience recoils from the character of 2-Kool and gravitates to the Argonaut player in the episode. The Argonaut player comes to represent pride in the City of Toronto, and anyone who would put down the Argonauts is like putting down the whole city (or Dundas Square, or the Toronto Zoo, or whatever other setting stands in for something that Torontonians love, but might not be the best in the world).

There are other ways the team could utilize 2-Kool in their marketing. 2-Kool could appear at home games and go around interviewing fans about how much they (but not he!) loves the team. 2-Kool could appear as the foil in some of the in-game promotions. 2-Kool could go around the city, conducting Jordan Klepper-style, in-character interviews. He could bait the interviewees into defending something particular about Toronto, for example…

Interviewee: “I know it’s not the Louvre, but the Art Gallery of Ontario is OURS and it’s wonderful and we love it.”

2-Kool: “Yeah, whatever… hey, have you ever been to a Toronto Argonauts game?”

Interviewee: “Argonauts? No, I don’t like the CFL, I only watch NFL.”

2-Kool: “My man! I love meeting other Too Cool people. We need to hang!”

Get these episodes on social media, tagging not just sports fans but fans of these Toronto institutions, build a kind of counterculture, rebellious, yet authentic image for the team.