To promote the 2023 NFL Pro Bowl, or should that be the ‘NFL Pro Bowl Games by Verizon’ now that the format of the all-star event has changed (again), the league has linked with the Manning brothers and several other football stars to lean into self-referential humour for its promotional creative.
Former Super Bowl wining quarterbacks Eli and Peyton Manning feature as bickering brother ‘coaches’ alongside several current NFL stars such as New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis and Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs for a series of three spots created with agency 72andSunny.
The trio of films – ‘Brotherly Love/Hate’, ‘The Art Of Flag Pulling’ and ‘Water Balloon Toss’ – feature the comic squabbling siblings and 2023 AFC and NFC head coaches and will run from 23 January to 5 February across US domestic broadcast, social and digital channels.
Each spot taps into the Mannings’ status as football champions while showing their comical approach to coaching.
“No one is more uniquely positioned to coach our AFC and NFC Pro Bowl teams than the Mannings, with both Peyton and Eli having participated in multiple Pro Bowls,” said NFL Chief Marketing Officer Tim Ellis. “Their football expertise, coupled with their unparalleled humour and competitive sibling rivalry, will bring something entirely new and fun to The Pro Bowl Games. And that’s exactly what we set out to capture with these spots: football, flag, family and fun.”
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Though they’ve changed format several times over the decades, the Pro Bowl has been a feature of American Football since 1939. This year sees the league seek to keep things fresh and safe after 80-plus years by introducing new elements skill-focused and fun elements such as the first-ever NFL Flag Football games.
The skills challenges will be broadcasted live on ESPN between 2 and 5 February with the flagship event taking place at Allegiant Stadium (in Paradise, Nevada) – the home stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders, the University of Nevada, the Las Vegas Rebels college football team, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Vegas Kickoff Classic.
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