Each year, Alabama A&M University faces off with Alabama State University in what has become the largest HBCU (Historically Black College and Universities) football contest in the nation - the Magic City Classic. In keeping with the traditional release of hype videos leading up to the historic game, Alabama A&M launched a unique content campaign to celebrate the Magic City Classic in 2025.
The brand amplifying video series earned more than 1 million overall views, driving a nearly 15% uptik in audience growth for the University through deployment across social media. Three (3) short episodic pieces highlighted an Alabama A&M theme as the ficitional "Willingham family" prepared for the big game.
Bulldog pride runs deep within the Willingham household, and it was on full display in the videos highlighting AAMU’s traditional rivalry through storylines rooted in familial school spirit. Julius, the family patriarch, finds himself in the middle of each vignette as he protects The Hill ahead of the Classic.
The spots were released strategically leading up to gameday.
The first spot, entitled “Trick or Treat”, brings Julius face-to-face with the enemy as his little nephew, Jeremiah, appears at his doorstep dressed as the cutest hornet you've ever seen.
In the second spot titled “Choices,” the Willingham's father-son duo - Julius and Curtis - shed a fun light on a rivalry that often divides households along mascot lines. Curtis’ decision to attend college in Montgomery leads Julius to replace him with a new son.
The final spot in the series titled “Meet the Parents” was released Thursday. In it, Tonya - the Willingham’s daughter - brings home her new boyfriend Jaden who happens to be a student at a Montgomery area university. Julius gets to the bottom of Jaden’s loyalties as rivalry week approaches.
Brand Amplificaiton and Audience Growth
This branded content series was the first of its kind, and elevated the AAMU brand in a major way in connection with the highly-celebrated Magic City Classic rivalry. The campaign played a major role in the skyrocketing audience growth achieved by AAMU (growing from 85,400 followers across all platforms in January 2024 to over 170,000 followers across all platforms in January of 2025).
Fan Engagement
AAMU continues to outperform accounts in our segment (Higher Education) in terms of social media engagement. The series helped drive that success - as can be seen by how our fans and alumni engaged with the videos across all platforms.
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