If you are a sports fan, you know that the NFL’s Manning brothers are usually rather straitlaced. So this “rap” commercial for Direct TV’s NFL Sunday football package is way out there — but lots of fun. It got millions of views on YouTube in its first 24 hours.
It is certainly odd to see Peyton and Eli Manning in this manner (rapping), but both have shown themselves to be great for marketing for years. At ESPN years ago, the two filmed a commercial together and were told to act how they normally would together and that was outrageous and attention-grabbing, as was this. The product that they are endorsing is also pretty impressive, as I have heard that it is the first of its kind. There has never before been a way to allow people to watch entire NFL games on their phone, but it is yet another step in the dynasty that is the NFL brand.
I think that this form of marketing is of the highest quality. First of all, using any prolific celebrity – be it an athlete, singer, actor, etc. – viewer’s attention is immediately increased. By having two of the biggest names in football acting this silly, people are even more intrigued. Also, this video became a VIRAL sensation. In this day and age, advertisements are quickly being posted on the internet so that it can reach a larger audience and keep up with the changing technological times.
If you look at any example of athletes acting ridiculous, you will see that their behavior has increased the number of people that watch their sport, or even their team. Take Derek Jeter for example. Many years ago, he was the guest host of Saturday Night Live. There was a skit where him, and a few of his Yankees teammates dressed as the wives of the Yankee players. The correlation between this episode of SNL and the Manning brothers’ commercial is very similar.
Some people may not be big fans of football in general, but I believe that this rap that the manning brothers made have turned people into Manning fans if not football fans all together.
This ad is very successful in how funny I found it to be. It also has a viral aspect to it as I felt encourage to show it to my friends. With 7.3 million views I guess others felt the same way. The ad definitely appeals to the targeted audience and certainly brought a lot of attention to “Football on your phone.”