The NFL already has the attention of diehard sports fans, but it wanted to reach and engage casual fans too.
The ones who attend a Super Bowl viewing party for the snacks.
Who stop scrolling when they see Taylor Swift is at the game.
Who love the entertainment, in sports entertainment.
The NFL sought to drive social engagement around games and enhance their perception as inclusive and diverse — and so much more than just football.
YouTube, their longtime partner, could help them reach this broader audience via the increasingly popular YouTube Shorts.
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:
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.
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.
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.
The NFL tapped into new audiences more interested in the culture than the competition and proved that it has something for everyone.
Awareness:
Engagement:
Subscribers gained:
And audience appreciation:
