Media Grills Rob Gronkowski on FanDuel Super Bowl Kick

In a new :30, Rob Gronkowski doesn’t say much about his 25-yard Super Bowl Sunday field goal attempt for FanDuel. (IRL, it’s one of his favorite topics of conversation.)

During the press-conference scenario below, the 11-year NFL great, a tight end by trade, mostly just stares into space, trying not to appear terrified. Perhaps he’s feeling the pressure, grimly contemplating the brandtastic task that lies ahead.

Sportscaster Kay Adams co-stars in the commercial. It’s the last of three pre-game ads from Wieden+Kennedy before Gronk’s so-called “Kick of Destiny” airs live during the third quarter on Feb. 12.

The event will take place at a location near State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., site of the Super Bowl. If Rob succeeds, folks placing Big Game bets of $5 or more via FanDuel could win part of a $10 million pot.

That’s not exactly the eye of the tiger. He looks more like prey. Good luck, big fella! You’ll need it.

“Kick of Destiny” fits a pattern for 2023, with FanDuel and other brands working overtime to lengthen the hype funnel by creating journeys leading into the game, rather than just teasing commercials. 

“We are seeing more of this and I don’t think it’s a trend—it’s the way forward,” W+K New York GCD Gerard Caputo tells Muse. “We can no longer think in terms of just spots, but Super Bowl platforms that create meaningful engagement before the game and beyond.”

FanDuel’s campaign feels fun and well-suited to Gronk’s quirky personality. Other notable initiatives in a similar vein include the Molson Coors/DraftKing team-up. That effort invites bets through DraftKings on various aspects of Molson Coors’ commercial—with prize money at stake, naturally. Meanwhile, M&M’s move to leverage the cultural zeitgeist by benching its “divisive” spokescandies in favor of Maya Rudolph—and “rebranding” the treats as Ma&Ya’s—is generating a shitstorm of feedback, both for and against.

“There are many reasons why we’re seeing this Super Bowl platform approach,” Caputo says. “A major one is the need to help clients extract the most value possible from the investment. A well-thought-out platform leverages every opportunity across a fractured media landscape, including partnerships with the NFL and broadcast networks.”

Crafting broader storylines stretching for weeks, rather than just teasing ads, “is very powerful, especially when you infuse more comms strategy into the creative thinking to make it all work together,” he says. “One of the best things about this approach is that more people, disciplines and points of view can contribute to enrich the work.”

CREDITS

CLIENT: FanDuel
PROJECT NAME: “Kick of Destiny”

AGENCY: W+K NEW YORK
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Scott Dungate
PRESIDENT: Jiah Choi
GROUP CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Gerard Caputo
SR COPYWRITER: Barry Katz
SR ART DIRECTOR: Alex Kaplan
ART DIRECTOR: Hannah Campbell
HEAD OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION: Nick Setounski
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Sam Kilbreth
SR PRODUCERS: Bianca Cochran, Tania Pirozzi, Rodrigo Nino
SR ART PRODUCER: Diana Pam
PRINT PRODUCER: Wayne Treptow
GROUP ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Ryan Johnson
ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Perry Kayla Fox    
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR: Nico Rodriguez  
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE: Will Parker
SR PROJECT MANAGER: Alex Doomany
GROUP STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Stéphane Missier
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: David Ceng
COMMUNICATIONS PLANNING DIRECTOR: Zack Green
SR COMMS STRATEGIST: Javaad Beg
SR BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Paul FitzGerald
BUSINESS AFFAIRS MANAGER: Ivian Nunez
TRAFFIC SUPERVISOR: Sonia Bisono
TRAFFIC MANAGER: Jacqueline Crane
HEAD OF STUDIO: Chris Whalley
STUDIO MANAGER: Jill Kearton
SR STUDIO ARTIST: Nate D’Alessandro
DESIGN LEAD: James Hughes
JR DESIGNER: Tyler Smith

PRODUCTION COMPANY: Arts & Sciences
DIRECTOR: Mike Warzin
MANAGING PARTNER: Marc Marrie
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Mal Ward
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Christa Skotland
HEAD OF PRODUCTION: Milena Milicevic
LINE PRODUCER: Joey Zadwarny
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Autumn Durald
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Eric Archer
FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR: Jason Lombardo

EDITORIAL COMPANY: ARCADE NY
EDITOR: Dave Anderson
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Sam Barden  
PRODUCER: Ellen Lavery
EP/PARTNER: Sila Soyer

VFX COMPANY: PARLIAMENT

COLORIST COMPANY: COMPANY 3
COLORIST: Tom Poole
COLOR PRODUCER: Shannen Troup

DESIGN & ANIMATION: LOS YORK

SOUND DESIGN, RECORD, AND MIX: BRIAN GOODHEART

ORIGINAL MUSIC: WALKER
MANAGING DIRECTOR: Sara Matarazzo
SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Stephanie Pigott
SENIOR PRODUCER: Danielle Soury

PHOTOGRAPHER: Emily Shur
PHOTOGRAPHER’S AGENT: Giant Artists

RETOUCHING: 150PROOF & Co.                                  
HEAD OF RETOUCHING: Chris McClelland
RETOUCHER: Kevin Walker