A few weeks ahead of the start of the new NFL season, Hulu launches a new phase of its #Sellouts’ initiative promoting its live sport offering with a new campaign fronted by LA Rams running back Todd Gurley and his ‘catfluencer’ cat.
Hulu’s ‘Sellouts’ takes an overtly transparent approach to the issue of athletes promoting brands – in this case Hulu’s live sports offering – and this ad stars self-proclaimed ‘Cat Dude’ Todd Gurley as the newest #HuluSellout.
The campaign, created in harness with agency By Big Family Table (BFT), features the running back and his pet – the hottest cat influencer in the game who is called ‘Mr Hulu Has Live Sports’.
The feline apparently has an official verified Instagram account and in the spearhead spot imagery switches between Gurley at home with his endorser pet on an elaborsate cat perch and the cat in a football stadium set playing and jumping for a ball.
Gurley’s friend asks the star running back whether he is being paid by Hulu to make cat videos and Gurley replies that he himself isn’t being paid anything but that Mr Hulu the cat is raking in the dough.
The spot closes with the cat and Gurley on a Hulu interview set throwing money and saying that Hulu has live sports.
The lead spot is backed by a set of supporting content across the brand’s social platforms
This is the Todd Gurley cat content I never knew I needed pic.twitter.com/IYNYvjMX6E
— hulu (@hulu) August 20, 2019
and on the player’s own channels.
Meet my boy Mr. Hulu Has Live Sports, who you GOTTA follow https://t.co/4fORAVuYfj
Thanks @hulu. #BestFriends4Life #catdad #HuluHasLiveSports #ad #HuluSellouts #meow pic.twitter.com/7L18FWwFOZ
— Todd Gurley II (@TG3II) August 20, 2019
The campaign was created by a team from agency BFT (Big Family Table) which included Group Account Director Chris Carter, Executive Creative Director Guto Araki, Group Strategy Director Will Burroughs, Head of Production Mary Ellen Duggan, Senior Producer Judd Stricker and Creative Directors Eric Manchester and Neal Desai.
The Production Company was Hungry Man, Post VFX was handled by Tribbo Post and the director was Dave Laden.
Comment:
This wave of work follows on from the ‘Sell Out: Hulu Has Live Sports’ launch phase which rolled out during the NBA All-Star Weekend in February 2019 and featured straight talking spots starring hoops ambassadors Joel Embiid and Damian Lillard (see case study).
Some may feel the campaign is crass for its overt focus on money and while we don’t necessarily disagree with that we certainly admire the honesty and the up front way the campaign addresses the financial side of sports sponsorship which is so often kept hidden from the fans.
Links:
Hulu
https://www.hulu.com/better-ruins-everything
https://www.youtube.com/user/huluDotCom
https://www.instagram.com/hulu/
BFT (Big Family Table)
https://www.bigfamilytable.com/
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