NFL Creator of the Week

The Strategy and Execution

Strategy

Sports fans tune into a broadcast for the game, but to attract diverse audiences we needed to give them more culture than competition: behind-the-scenes and stadium-specific delights, game-day highlights and reactions, interviews with superfans, team trends, and challenges. We could make the NFL relatable to casual viewers from all walks of life.

To do this, we needed content  from people they are already tuned into: creators. 

Creators/ influencers/ YouTubers set the tastes of their communities and followers:
 

• Gen Z and Millennials are two times more likely than Boomers to trust influencers (Source: Oracle)

• 71% of consumers trust advertising, opinions, and product placements from influencers—highlighting the potential for influencers to build personal consumer connections and increase brand awareness (Source: Nielsen)

• 63% of US and 58% of UK Gen Z audiences trust the product recommendations of content creators (Reaching the Unreachables)

• 62% of US and 57% of UK Gen Z audiences trust product recommendations of people who follow the same content creators (Reaching the Unreachables)
   

To bring new creators into the NFL ecosystem, we got them to the games, behind the scenes, and closer to the action, showing them a world they may not be familiar with and, in turn, giving their followers a new POV on the game. 

We called it “Creator of the Week.”

This first-of-its-kind creator campaign kicked off in week one of the season. And every single week thereafter with a new creator hosted by a new team - a feat no other professional sports league had attempted. 

Creators were invited to some of their favorite team games with VIP access and exclusive experiences.

We gave creators the freedom to capture the thrill of game day and share their experiences in their own style. 

To tap into pop culture we sourced creators from gaming, food, music, fashion, family, lifestyle, comedy and more. They were welcomed with exclusive access to everything from the sidelines to the locker room. They engaged with fans, players, and coaches, taking videos that were shared to a dedicated NFL YouTube Shorts playlist, as well as their own.

This was a whole new playbook for fan engagement that transformed the sidelines into launchpads for a new generation of NFL ambassadors.

What’s more, the NFL released all claims to their IP, so the creators could fully monetize the content: a win-win.

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Execution

The NFL had never attempted a creator campaign of this scale and speed before. No one had. 

22 NFL teams across 24 games featuring 27 creators in just 23 weeks.

We selected a different creator for every week of the season and partnered them with their local/ state team to explore the stadium and teams’ unique culture.

Creators shared at least two YouTube Shorts. The NFL captured enough content for six YouTube Shorts, which were turned around in lightning-quick time to share with fans during and soon after the game.

Creators showcased their highlights and drew in eyeballs and subscribers from their various communities e.g.
 

• Alix Earle, TikTok's It Girl, flew to Germany with her boyfriend (NFL Man) and the rest of the Miami Dolphins to practice her German and interview fans.
   

• Casey Neistat, The King of Youtube Vlogs, took his enormous audience to the sidelines, backstage and up in the box to see the NY Jets.
   

• Matt Stonie, foodie, franchise restaurant founder and competitive eater, went viral for showing the Las Vegas Raiders how to eat A LOT more calories for more completions.
   

• Ninja, one of the biggest gamers of all time, revealed that he was more nervous for the Detroit Lions playoff game than all the esports competitions he’s ever been in.
   

• Natalie & the Aguilars, a popular Hispanic family channel, took their dad, a diehard San Francisco 49ers fan to the game of his life that saw them tour the stadium museum and watch their team make it to the Super Bowl.
   

• Jimmy Darts, known for his acts of kindness, treated his hardworking dad to a day of meeting Minnesota Vikings players, giving away tickets to the Super Bowl to random strangers and celebrating the win!
   

• Sean Evans of Hot Ones fame, toured the tailgating scene and got interviewed on the sidelines of a Chicago Bears game which had the whole stadium fired up.
   

• Eli Mack, hilarious gamer, goofed around with the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot, cheerleaders and fans to help gamers and NFL fans find common ground.
   

• Stefan Johnson, the famous voice-over guy and food reviewer, took us on a tour of the specialties (including oyster shucking!) at the Cleveland Browns stadium. 

We flew all over the country – and all the way to Germany — to support them on the ground. It was the first time something at this scale had been attempted which meant we were working on four games worth of content at any one time.

From week one to the Super Bowl, the NFL Creator Of The Week campaign didn't just score touchdowns; it expanded the field, reaching new audiences and redefining the game's cultural impact.