On 6 September, three days prior to kickoff, the NFL hyped the 2022/3 season with an integrated OTT campaign called ‘It Feels Good To Football’.
Created in harness with agency 72andSunny Los Angeles, the campaign was spearheaded by a kickoff spot set to Dr Dre’s 1999 ‘Still DRE’ and built around a star-studded pep rally featuring Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, NFL luminaries Cam Jordan, Derwin James and Justin Tucker, the Cleveland Browns mascot Chomps, the Carolina Panthers cheerleaders, NFL on Nickelodeon’s Young Dylan and Buffalo Bills superfan Pinto Ron, as well as other sports stars such as gymnast Simone Biles (who is engaged to Houston Texans stars Jonathan Owens) and boxer Ryan Garcia, plus rappers Lil Wayne, Pusha T and Saweetie, TikTok star Josh Richards and social media influencer Frankie Lapenna.
The 75-second spot starts with Metcalf at a piano playing the opening to ‘Still DRE’ – a track originally performed with Snoop Dogg and which is often features in films and video games – before the song morphs into a frenzied fight song.
The ad runs with the copyline: “There’s no game like this game! There ain’t no time like this time!” and its supporting creative is linked through the #ItFeelsGoodToFootball, #NFL and #kickoff2022 hashtags.
The hero ad, which was directed by Superprime’s Emmett and Brandon Malloy (who also helmed EA’s recent ‘Thanks Coach‘ John Madden tribute spot), aired ahead of and during the NFL’s 103rd season’s opening game on Thursday, 8 September (when the Buffalo Bills beat defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium), with additional cutdowns also appearing across various platforms.
The league’s multi-channel campaign ran across TV and multiple NFL owned platforms and was supported by footballers, other sports stars and influencers on their personal platforms and included a ‘Team Pride’ Instagram Lens, plus a ‘Kick It’ Snapchat Lens and even a behind-the-scenes social spot starring the NFL Commissioner.
Show off your NFL spirit with our new Team Pride lens on Instagram! https://t.co/abybFR1iNY #ItFeelsGoodToFootball #Kickoff2022 pic.twitter.com/cjGW8Fdl8u
— NFL (@NFL) September 6, 2022
Test your NFL field goal skills with our new Kick It Snapchat lens #ItFeelsGoodToFootball #Kickoff2022
Open on Snapchat: https://t.co/212ubE0iio pic.twitter.com/rpIqlpKtAW
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2022
No one takes #Kickoff2022 more seriously than Commissioner Goodell #ItFeelsGoodToFootball pic.twitter.com/9geNGtVPQU
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2022
“We are blurring the lines between football, music, fashion and modern culture,” said NFL CMO Tim Ellis. “It’s about delivering a constant stream of energy and vitality that makes football feel exciting and relevant to a new generation of fans. This particular spot is meant to bring people together over their shared passion and love for the game. We brought together the biggest stars in sports and hip-hop to strategically appeal to our key demographics of youth, women and the Latino community—while spotlighting our players who continue to be the face of football.”
The campaign was created for the NFL by a team at creative agency 72andSunny Los Angeles, with production handled by Superprime, editorial and post: by Union Editorial, mix by Barking Owl and finishing by A52.
Comment
This frenetic campaign sizzles with style and sound and links to the 2022 Super Bowl Pepsi Halftime Show which featured Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar and aims to link the league to contemporary popular culture (perhaps aiming to mirror the NBA success in this space).
It certainly seeks to weave the NFL into the cultural fabric of America life and to engage younger people as well as hardcore football fans.
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