Many teams focus their content solely on the on-field product. That's what fans are the most interested in after all, but it's also out of the control of the content creators. For the Atlanta Falcons aerial stunt videos, the digital team tried to appeal to an even wider audience that would transcend wins and losses while showcasing the team as an industry leader in-game entertainment.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, the Falcons enlisted the help of over 100 Atlanta-based hip-hop artists to perform at the team's Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints. T.I. led the team out of the tunnel. Jermaine Dupri, Ceelo Green, Jeezy, Quavo, and Big Boi all performed, but it was Ludacris who stole the show and went viral across social media.
Before the 4th quarter, Ludacris was hoisted from the rafters, repelling down to the field in between two banners while performing his hit "Get Out The Way." His performance was captured via a 360-cam that was mounted to Ludacris' microphone.
But that's not all, for the second time during the season, the team's mascot, Freddie Falcon, showed that he actually can fly with an aerial stunt of his own. In Week 1, Freddie zip-lined from one end of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the other. In Week 12, the mascot followed it up while swinging from one end of the team's scoreboard to the other.
The three videos went viral across the Falcons' and Ludacris' channels.
Strategy
Execution
Freddie Jump #1
During Week 1, Freddie Falcon was set to zip-line from one end of Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the other. Other teams have tried to capture stunts using traditional video methods, but it's often shaky or seems commonplace. The Falcons' digital team worked with a professional 360 videographer, to film the stunt in a way more common for extreme sports. The team gave Freddie a GoPro MAX 360 camera secured to a selfie stick strapped to the mascot's arm. The video was edited quickly, reframing Freddie as he flipped and rotated.
The reaction from social media was instantaneous, generating nearly 30 million video views across various platforms.
Freddie Jump #2
For Week 12, Freddie Falcon was at it again, swinging from a line hung from the center of the stadium's roof. The mascot jumped off from the rafters, just on the other side of the halo board, falling to 75 feet from the field and coming close to the other side of the halo board, all while holding the same 360 camera and hanging upside down. Again, the video was posted as soon as possible, hitting the Atlanta Falcons' social channels at the end of the first quarter.
The video went viral on Instagram Reels quickly, reaching 5.8 million videos on the platform.
Ludacris Aerial Show
The highlight of the Falcons' "50 Years of Hip Hop" celebration was Ludacris repelling in between the 3rd and 4th quarter timeout. The Atlanta hip-hop artist was secured via harness on both sides of his waist and lowered from the stadium catwalks. He descended to the field while singing his hit song "Get Out the Way" in between two banners. This time, the Falcons digital team secured the same 360 camera to Ludacris' microphone, allowing the angle to move with his hand movements and turns to the audience. The still images captured were almost as good as the video itself. Due to music rights, the Falcons cut the entire video and sent it to Ludacris who posted it on his channels. The team also shared a version without audio on its own channels.
Views across Ludacris' and Falcons' channels exceeded 9.7 million.
Freddie Holiday Jump
Freddie Falcon themed his final season jump by descending from the rook with a front flip dressed as Santa Claus. The video performed exceptionally well on Instagram Reels with 1.5 million video views, featuring a collab with the NFL and shares from other top accounts.
Freddie Jump #1
Freddie Jump #2
Ludacris Aerial Performance
Freddie Holiday Jump
Total Views (All 4 Videos)
