“Kick of Destiny 3” was meant to drive fans to the sportsbook app during the college football and NFL playoff season to predict which of the Manning brothers would win the field goal contest. Nearly 2 million fans participated, with just over 1 million picking Eli to win, according to FanDuel. Those fans will receive $10 bet credits that will be available on Monday, a spokesperson said.
Wieden+Kennedy has been behind the creative for all three iterations of the “Kick of Destiny” Super Bowl stunt. The first two events featured former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was given a single kick attempt from 25 yards but missed in 2023 (when FanDuel paid out the bonus anyway) and again in 2024 (when the app gave the fans the chance to guess whether Gronkowski would make or miss the kick). The brand last year held the kick before the Super Bowl game and devoted in-game creative to the outcome. In 2023, the kick took place during a 30-second in-game ad break.
This year’s event, which took place at around 3:30 p.m. E.T., left Wieden+Kennedy only hours to edit the commercial based on the results of the contest. The ad showed Eli Manning riding upon a foot-shaped float in a tickertape parade. It is later revealed that Peyton Manning is struggling to pull the float by rope.
Engaging two kickers this year allowed FanDuel to play the contest to a winner. Teasers naturally played up a sibling rivalry between the Manning brothers, who following their football careers have become broadcasters and prolific brand spokesmen.
The “Kick of Destiny 3” event featured an appearance by Gronkowski. Cooper Manning, the older brother of Peyton and Eli, briefly interviewed his brothers.
Kicking from 25 yards, both brothers missed badly. After Peyton hit an upright from 20 yards, Eli ended the contest by driving his kick well beyond the goalposts.