NFL automotive partner Hyundai leveraged the 2016 draft by teaming up with NFL Network draft analyst Mike Maycok to predict football’s future and spot young talent in its ‘Draft Day 2031’ campaign.
Part of the auto outfit’s ongoing #BecauseFootball sponsorship work, ‘Draft Day 2031’ blends advertising with digital consumer-creation and is led by a centrepiece mockumentary film launched on 25 April.
The tongue-in-cheek ‘Draft Day 2031’ sees Mike Mayock analyse the kids who could be selected 15 years from now and features cameos from NFL players Lawrence Timmons from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Sam Young of the Miami Dolphins.
The mockumentary spot, which plays on the idiosyncrasies of pro broadcasters analysing and predicting budding draft hopefuls, is built around the idea that the 2031 NFL Draft will be here sooner than anyone thinks.
So Hyundai and Mike Mayock are already looking out for future talent and suggests to viewers that ‘your little football star could be next’.
The campaign, which leverages both this year’s three day draft in Chicago (28 to 30 April) and the launch of the new 2017 Hyundai Elantra, drives viewers online to the campaign web hub (at https://www.draftday2031.com/ and http://hyundai.us/rSa184) where it invites fans to make their own ‘Draft Day 2031’ video of their own children.
Adults from parents, friends, pee-wee football coaches and fans are all invited to create personalised, sharable fan videos of their own favourite little football stars sees real consumer footage interspersed with analysis from Mayock and signature ‘Mayock-isms’.
In addition to the video and digital elements, the automaker’s campaign (which kicked off two days before the draft itself) also included banner ad and pre-roll support on NFL.com, social media work,
Find out how to experience #DraftDay2016 w/ us @ https://t.co/0MA3XUQQRm! #BecauseFootball https://t.co/joKNoPgeDq pic.twitter.com/xmyRswQIgf
— Hyundai USA (@Hyundai) April 26, 2016
and an engaging on-site activation in Chicago’s renamed ‘Selection Square’ (see https://nflcommunications.com/Pages/NFL-ANNOUNCES-FREE-FAN-OPPORTUNITIES-FOR-2016-NFL-DRAFT-IN-CHICAGO-.aspx).
The NFL is estimating more than 200,000 fans will move through its Draft Town in and around Grant Park this week as Chicago hosts the NFL draft for the second straight season.
The campaign, which was created by Hyundai’s agency of record Innocean Worldwide, targets NFL fans and their families.
‘Specifically those who are always on the go and using their vehicles to deliver their kids to sports and activities,’ explains Hyundai Motor America senior group manager of experiential marketing Trea Reedy.
‘The NFL has the largest and most avid fan base among US sports, and we’re fans too. As an official NFL sponsor, we want to celebrate fan passion and bring our brand mission of making things better to NFL fans with entertaining creative and unique on-site experiences.’’
‘Our Draft Day 2031 digital hub is a fun way for families to engage with the draft and create personalized content of their future football stars,’ adds Hyundai Motor America chief marketing officer Dean Evans.
‘The goal of our NFL program is to make the fan experience better, whether that’s on TV, on social media or on-site, and we are excited to bring that to life in year two of our official NFL sponsorship.’
Comment
How other sports leagues around the world would love to create an off-season event as popular as the NFL Draft.
A sub-property that engages fans in the fallow off-season that boasts a long, pre-event lead-in conversation as fans speculate and argue over who they want and think their teams will draft.
And which a plethora of its sponsors are keen to activate around.
Previous NFL Drafts have spanned innovative campaigns from sponsors like Verizon’s #TheCall (see case study) and ambushers like Bose (see case study).
This Hyundai digital and on-the-ground campaign continues Hyundai’s #BecauseFootball marketing program that aims to improve the NFL fan experience and which kicked off earlier in the season with the launch of its #BecauseFootball initiative (see case study), as well as its Super Bowl specific campaign (see case study).
Links
Draft Day 2031 Website:
Hyundai Twitter:
Hyundai YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/hyundai
https://www.youtube.com/user/HyundaiUSA
Hyundai Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Hyundai
Hyundai Assurance
Hyundai Media Website:
Hyundai NFL Blog:
Innocean Worldwide:
NFL Draft Website
NFL Website
NFL YouTube:
NFL Now:
NFL Game Pass:
NFL Podcasts:
Fantasy Football:
http://www.nfl.com/fantasyfootball
NFL Network:
NFL Mobile App:
NFL Schedule:
NFL Tickets:
Shop NFL:
http://www.nflshop.com/source/bm-nflc…
NFL Facebook:
NFL Twitter:
NFL Instagram:
