The NFL kicks off the 2024 season with unity-focused campaign

The NFL season for 2024 has officially (and literally) kicked off.

And I’ll be honest, I don’t know sh*t about American Football except that:

1. It’s vastly different to the other football (AKA 'soccer'), and

2. T-Swift's giant golden retriever bf plays for one of the teams.

However, I do know that with the NFL comes some brilliant creative advertising as brands aim to utilize the excitement of the new season.

I also know that, in a country so divided, football is a great unifier. And this is the theme for the kick-off campaign this season, aptly named, 'This Is Football Country.'

The campaign's debut spot, created by ad agency 72andSunny, features players from around the world, including Japan, Mexico and Brazil. This reflects the league's focus on global growth.

The U.S. footage extends well beyond NFL teams and stars to include high school and women’s flag players, as well as creators.

Last season's kick-off campaign was more comedic. But this work focuses more on empowerment and inclusivity, which are increasingly becoming a touchstone of NFL ads.

The key message emphasises how football brings people together in today’s cultural climate.

'We always try to get the pulse of the nation as we enter a new season,' Tim Ellis, the league’s CMO, said in an interview. 'We’re going into a year that could be the most divisive in our lifetimes. I think the country needs the NFL more than ever—for escape, and also to pull us all together to focus on things we agree on.'

I mean, that’s putting a lot of faith in the power of football, but hey, it’s ‘merica.

Several brands are jumping on the NFL season hype with campaigns of their own.

Tostitos, the official chip of the NFL, has teamed up with NFL legend and iconic hottie Tom Brady. They've also brought along Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski in a new hilarious series of goofy ads about the dangers of not having the right chip and dip.

The ads, which include Brady’s turn as a flight attendant, build upon a long-standing partnership between PepsiCo-owned Tostitos and the NFL. The campaign also includes the return of team-inspired packaging.

Buffalo Wild Wings has just landed retired Eagle's centre Jason Kelce for a new campaign. The ad centres around the idea that football season is to be shared with friends, family, and friends that pressure you into claiming they’re family.

SNICKERS is also joining in the new season fun. In their newest campaign, the brand drafts a ‘choco-mancer’ to decipher the unique traits of SNICKERS bites. He then uses these to see into the future of the upcoming season. The brand is also partnering with 21 teams to release limited-edition SatisFORTUNES kits.

Available in 21 different NFL team wraps, each kit contains five limited-edition team SNICKERS bars, along with SatisFORTUNES bites. Fans also get a Chocomancer-curated bite guide to turn any bite of SNICKERS into a vision of the future.

You also can’t have football without a little betting.

And betting platform Draft Kings has enlisted Kevin Hart and LeBron James in their new commercial. In the ad, LeBron gets a notification from the betting platform offering new users $200 in bonus bets and a one-month NFL+ Premium subscription.

'I just got an NFL offer,' he says. Hart, ever at the ready for a roast, presumes the offer is to play in the NFL, and lays in.

'Aren’t you too old to be playing football? They want somebody who can run a 40—not somebody who is 40,' Hart jabs, and he’s only getting warmed up. (James turns 40 in December.)

The ad marks James’ first appearance for DraftKings, an official NFL sponsor.

And finally, the mascots have all gathered for a new YouTube commercial.

The country may be divided, but the team mascots are not. In fact, they’re all on the sofa ready for an afternoon of football watching in a new YouTube advert.

The ad was made in-house by YouTube Creative Studio and was directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. He was also behind the camera for a Sunday Ticket spot earlier this year, imagining bird team mascots flying south for football’s off-season.

There’s truly no shortage of industries represented across the kick-off season this year.

And this reiterates the season's themes of inclusivity.

The NFL kick off game last week averaged 48.9 million views, according to AdImpact, and a peak audience of 55.6 million viewers. So it’s certainly in brands' best interest to get in front of these highly engaged audiences.

Football-based campaigns have always been a go-to for marketers. And this increased attention makes tying up with the NFL more important than ever. So even if you don’t have the budget for a full-on NFL-themed campaign, think about how you can bring the hype of the new season into your content.

-Sophie, Writer