Driving Acquisition and Growth of Revenue-Critical Digital Platforms at National Scale

CLIENT
The NFL

ROLE
Creative Director

AGENCY
Collier.Simon

SCOPE
National, in-season digital campaigns supporting subscription and engagement platforms

Context.

As the NFL expanded beyond broadcast and live games into direct-to-consumer digital products, the league was focused on growing adoption of several revenue-critical platforms, including NFL Game Pass, Game Rewind, NFL Now, and its flagship Fantasy Football experience.

These products were central to the NFL’s broader digital strategy — supporting fan acquisition, deepening engagement, and generating recurring subscription revenue during the season. Marketing leadership responsible for these products was directly accountable for meeting aggressive revenue and adoption targets, requiring clear, compelling communication across digital channels.

The Challenge.

  • Drive awareness and adoption of multiple digital products with distinct value propositions
  • Support subscription-based revenue goals tied to in-season and annual renewals
  • Convert traditional fans into active users of digital platforms
  • Maintain consistency across a large volume of digital advertising and owned experiences
  • Reinforce credibility and excitement around digital-first products in a league rooted in tradition

My Role.

We partnered closely with NFL marketing leadership responsible for the success and revenue performance of Game Pass, Game Rewind, NFL Now, and Fantasy Football. My role focused on brand storytelling, creative direction, and digital narrative alignment — translating product value into compelling, acquisition-focused messaging and creative.

Working alongside account leadership and media teams, we shaped creative designed specifically to support digital acquisition and subscription conversion, while maintaining consistency across campaigns, platforms, and seasons.

Strategy & Narrative Approach.

The overarching strategy was to position NFL digital products as essential extensions of fandom, not optional add-ons.

Key narrative principles included:

  • Framing digital platforms as tools that deepen engagement, not replace live viewing
  • Using real NFL talent to establish authenticity and excitement around digital experiences
  • Making product functionality visible and intuitive within the storytelling
  • Aligning creative execution directly to acquisition and subscription objectives

For Fantasy Football in particular, the focus was on participation — reinforcing the idea that the product wasn’t just content, but an interactive extension of the season.

A key human insight shaped the work: as the season approached, football became the shared language that replaced awkward small talk, giving fans a natural reason to reconnect. The Fantasy Football app wasn’t just a product — it became the social catalyst.

Execution.

The work supported national, in-season digital campaigns running from preseason through the regular season, with creative refreshed at key intervals to support renewals and acquisition goals.

Execution included:

  • Large-scale digital advertising across paid placements and page takeovers
  • Short-form and pre-roll video designed for digital-first consumption
  • Original shoots with NFL talent to reinforce authenticity and credibility

We filmed players actively engaging with the products themselves — such as Odell Beckham Jr. —using the Fantasy Football app to simulate drafting players, reinforcing usability and immediacy. Additional shoots featured Victor Cruz, Eddie Lacy, and Randall Cobb, captured on location in environments meaningful to fans, including team locker rooms and training facilities.

Player talent was used strategically — not as spectacle — but as a narrative device to bridge traditional fandom with emerging digital platforms.

Impact & Results.

  • Supported and met revenue-critical digital products with seven- and eight-figure annual goals
  • Enabled consistent, acquisition-focused storytelling across multiple NFL digital platforms
  • Reinforced digital adoption during peak in-season engagement periods
  • Strengthened the perception of NFL digital products as core components of the fan experience
  • Helped align creative storytelling with measurable subscription and engagement objectives

Executive Takeaway.

This work demonstrates how corporate communications and brand storytelling can directly support digital revenue and platform adoption at scale. By aligning narrative, talent, and execution to clear business objectives, the NFL was able to position its digital products as integral to fandom — not peripheral — during moments of peak engagement.

It reflects my approach to corporate marketing: partnering with accountable business leaders, translating product value into clear storytelling, and using narrative consistency to support growth, adoption, and long-term engagement.

Works.

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