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DirecTV Drafts Deion Sanders as Its Latest Pigeon Voice
'Coach Prime' joins Henry Winkler and Steve Buscemi
A sassy pigeon rocking a Stetson and flashing bling. It’s the role Deion Sanders was born to play.
Now, DirecTV gives him the chance. The former NFL standout and current Colorado Buffaloes coach joins Henry Winkler and Steve Buscemi in fresh work from TBWA\Chiat\Day L.A. They voice CGI pigeons hyping DirectTV’s streaming options for college and pro football games.
“Enough squabbling.” Nice one, Deion.
Spots drop today, six month after Winkler and Buscemi’s birdbrained debut in the campaign.
So, why pluck Deion to help them plug DirecTV?
“Deion Sanders is a football icon—both on the field. He’s got the bona fides,” TBWA\C\D senior art director Jono Moore tells Muse. “Crucially, he’s got a very recognizable voice—so even in pigeon form, it’s unmistakably Deion.”
The team believes that channeling Sanders’ infamous “no-BS attitude and take-no-prisoners” style could earn the campaign extra yardage with fans, says agency senior copywriter Dylan Cimo. “And we love the absurd-but-weirdly-perfect screen chemistry of these three disparate performers.”
So, the work’s got legs?
“Legs? We think it’s got wings!” Moore says. “America has fallen in love with these birds, and we have, too. We see a world where these curmudgeons can complain about all the other great stuff DirecTV has to offer. And as far as adding more in the future, who says we’re limited to birds?”
How about trying some cats? Then we’ll see how Coach Prime really handles the heat. (He already faces a challenge with DirecTV. Like Dish and other legacy players, the service has shed subscribers in recent years.)
Smuggler’s Randy Krallman directed. The push begins breaking today across TV/OTT, digital/social, OOH and audio.
DirecTV consistently delivers entertaining campaigns. Other recent notables include “Overly Direct” with Travis Kelce and the rollicking “Get Your TV Together.”
And Sanders is no stranger to flighty advertising, having worked with Aflac’s duck a few years back.
