Ted Lasso x FIFA

Source: Twitter

One last nod to the winners at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity this year (and then I’ll likely do a learnings recap tomorrow overall) … for the work done by television show Ted Lasso. You don’t have to be a fan of the show to see the brilliance in the marketing campaign when the show’s makers actually had the fictional sports team from the show join the real FIFA organization. Not only getting show fans involved, but gamers too. And soccer fans too. Here’s the case study:

The work received a Grand Prix award at the Cannes Lions, as well as the admiration of entertainment and sports marketers around the world. Definitely one of the most comprehensive and thorough campaigns created for a TV show that I have ever seen. And clearly helping to drive the success of the show.

It’s inspiring to see this level of marketing not only get created and win awards but definitively produce results. I worry sometimes that we as an industry get into a “playbook” mentality of putting together campaigns. We know what works so we simply reapply. We have to avoid that robotic mentality to keep our craft alive. This example from Ted Lasso x FIFA does just that. Inspired! Let’s keep up this level of work!

Wow. What’s your experience? JIM