NFL’s comic kickoff campaign imagines if the entire season were scripted

When it comes to storylines in sports, truth really is often stranger than fiction. But the fiction is pretty ridiculous, too, in the NFL’s comic kickoff campaign starring Keegan-Michael Key and a host of the league’s top stars. The campaign, from 72andSunny, imagines an alternate universe where the whole NFL year is literally scripted, with players gathering before the games begin to suggest narratives that should play out. At the heart of it all is Keegan-Michael Key, who serves as the director of this elaborate, fake “Truman Show”-ish production, which just so happens to debut as the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ strikes persist. Football marketing news Tracking Super Bowl, NFL and college brand moves Read more here The launch spot begins with Key welcoming the players—who in this imagined reality are all actors—to the table read for the upcoming season’s drama. “Alright, everyone. Last season was a smash. Ratings gold,” he says. “But this year’s script has to top it. So, welcome to the table read for the 104th season of the NFL. Let’s get to work!” There ensues much banter from players including Travis and Jason Kelce, Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, DK Metcalf, Dexter Lawrence, Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey. Popping up via video chat is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who grumbles when it’s suggested he should be written out of the scripts entirely. The point, of course, is that the NFL doesn’t need to come up with these kinds of outrageous narratives, since its actual storylines always end up at the center of the cultural zeitgeist anyway. This is captured in the tagline: “You can’t make this stuff up.” Look back: NFL’s latest season ratings declined 2% “Our goal was to make this campaign tongue-in-cheek, humorous and clever in the way we tapped into popular memes and cultural conversations about the league,” said Tim Ellis, chief marketing officer at the NFL. “We really wanted to have fun with this and not take ourselves too seriously. We hope fans get a kick out of the campaign and are sitting on the edge of their seats to see what spectacles unfold this season.” So... is the NFL scripted? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/z6kZu45mYO— NFL (@NFL) August 21, 2023 The launch spot is just the beginning. For the first time, the kickoff campaign will continue with new installments throughout the season—16 pieces of content in all, timed to key moments throughout the year, such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and international games. Rewind: NFL games command the highest TV ad prices Below is the second spot in the series, in which, among other shenanigans, Donna Kelce—mother of the Kelce brothers—dreams up a romantic storyline involving herself and Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. “For the past few years, we felt a responsibility to leverage the power of the NFL to bring people together with our season kickoff campaigns. But this year, it felt appropriate to let loose and have fun,” said Zach Hilder, executive creative director at 72andSunny L.A. “Also, we wanted to highlight the entertainment value of NFL football. The NFL is so much bigger than players and plays. The storylines are epic. The plot twists are sometimes almost unbelievable. We tried to remind fans of that without being heavy-handed. Plus, we wanted to see Justin Fields pitch the idea of swapping his legs for wheels. I mean, who doesn't want to see that?” Glenn Cole, co-founder of 72andSunny, said he and Hilder first talked about the idea of a “Scripted” campaign back in February. “NFL fan culture and NFL meme culture share a fun obsession with scripted storyline conspiracies. Even the athletes love to play with it,” Cole said. “So when the new season approached and our objectives became clear, we leaned into it. We knew we had the right idea when we pitched it to the players. DK signed on before he even saw the script. Tim [Ellis] pitched Mahomes, the Kelces, and Kirk Cousins who fearlessly leaned into it. Just look at Kirk. Fearless!” The campaign breaks tonight (Aug. 24) during a preseason Thursday Night Football matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts on Amazon Prime Video. The NFL’s 104th season opener is happening Sept. 7, when the Detroit Lions (Keegan-Michael Key’s longtime favorite team, as it happens) play the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on NBC. Last year’s NFL kickoff spot, also from 72andSunny, featured an epic pep rally and starred players including Metcalf, Derwin James and Cam Jordan, along with rappers Lil Wayne, Saweetie and Pusha T. Ad Age Creativity Bookmark our section covering the best in brand creativity every day Read more here

NFL’s comic kickoff campaign imagines if the entire season were scripted

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