Gronk Misses Kick, But FanDuel Pays Out Anyway

Alas, Rob Gronkowski, the former NFL great and a tight end by trade, missed his live 25-yard field goal attempt during the 3rd quarter of Super Bowl LVII.

But no matter. FanDuel will pay out $10 million in bonus bets anyway—and earned huge promotional points from the month-long “Kick of Destiny” campaign developed with Wieden+Kennedy.

.@RobGronkowski may have missed the #KickOfDestiny….

BUT YOU STILL WIN: we’re still paying out the $10,000,000 in Bonus Bets! pic.twitter.com/6z4b0EdNNI

— FanDuel (@FanDuel) February 13, 2023

The wagering juggernaut had originally said that fans placing Super Bowl bets of $5 or more via its sportsbook could win a share of the prize pool—but only if Gronk prevailed. Ultimately, however, the brand went in a somewhat different direction. (Not unlike Gronk’s kick!)

“A well-thought-out platform leverages every opportunity across a fractured media landscape, including partnerships with the NFL and broadcast networks,” W+K New York GCD Gerard Caputo recently told Muse of FanDuel’s Big Game strategy.

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 said. “One of the best things about this approach is that more people, disciplines and points of view can contribute to enrich the work.”