No mascots were harmed in the making of this NFL Sunday Ticket ad.
For the second week in a row, sports campaigns turned heads with executions that were well crafted and audacious—two of which heralded the return of Premier League soccer in England, and one that brought us still closer to the new NFL season.
Elsewhere, we got the follow-up to a much-debated advertising stunt from last fall, as well as a celeb-driven dance-a-thon from a top clothing retailer.
Check out the full Top 5 below.
Snoop Dogg’s “I’ve decided to give up smoke” campaign for Solo Stove last fall caused so much sturm und drang in the industry, becoming the poster child for creativity that gets noticed but fails to move the needle. Thankfully, Solo Stove has now clarified the results of that work—it actually did move product—and welcomed Snoop back for a follow-up that’s more “blunt” in its goal of selling a ton of firepits. Now that the smoke has cleared from the first stunt, this client seems to have its ducks more in a row. The result is a fun, better-timed campaign that’s more fleshed out in its full-funnel marketing objectives.
The return of the Premier League in the U.K. is always a big deal, and particularly so this year for Guinness, which has signed on as the soccer league’s beer partner (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) globally. The first work out of the gate is a charming spot set on the remote Scottish island of Eriskay, where nearly 10% of the population play for the local football team—and most enjoy snarfing down pints of Guinness 0.0 as well. A second spot, set in Korea, will drop soon, continuing the theme of digging into quirky soccer traditions around the world.
Gap sometimes feels a little out of step with culture but this campaign is very much of the moment, with Australian singer Troye Sivan, known for his viral dance moves of late, leading a group of dancers in an infectious romp around a warehouse space. There’s nothing revolutionary here—this is Gap’s standard advertising approach—but Sivan elevates it into a joyful paean to loose-fitting denim.
Fans of Tide’s 2017 Super Bowl ad with Terry Bradshaw and Tubi’s interruption of 2023’s Big Game will enjoy this Showmax stunt, which takes a similar approach, fooling viewers into thinking they’re watching a sports broadcast when it’s actually an ad in disguise. An interview segment on Premier League show “Matchday Live” earlier this month turned very strange when legendary player Eric Cantona had a meltdown on set, delivering a rant that soon revealed itself to be an ad for Premier League streaming on Showmax. A fun and subversive idea, well executed, and with the perfect talent in the starring role.
Christian Haas and his team at YouTube Creative Studio always produce fun work, and here’s their second entertaining spot of the year for YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket offering. The “Migration” ad last winter was an instant classic, and this new spot takes a similarly fanciful approach, with a guy who wakes up on Sunday morning to find a bunch of NFL teams in his home—well, their mascots, anyway. The success of the metaphor rests largely on the execution here, and it’s pulled off perfectly by the effects team at The Mill. The Velvet Underground track is the cherry on top—lyrically apt, but also enhancing the mellow vibe that gives the spot its charm. We’re definitely ready for some football.
