Sports marketing
Akron football invited one season-ticket holder to help script the opening offensive series of its home opener. The August announcement drew 23 million views on X, sold out suites for the first time in program history, and attracted entries from personalities like Big Cat and Jon Gruden. After the winner was revealed, Arby's Steak Nuggets came on as presenting sponsor, timed to the product's nationwide return as a limited-time offer.
According to Mondo Metrics, campaign posts averaged 2.9x Akron's usual engagement over more than a month, while earned media from outlets like House of Highlights and SportsCenter delivered about 13.5 million views. Game day became an Arby's takeover, with branding on the play-call binder, foam fingers, press conference food and even regular highlights. One critique: a behind-the-scenes Reel that opened at an Arby's underperformed, showing sponsor requests should not override what fans came to see.
The lesson for sports social teams is to treat breakout content as proof for partnerships. When a series, promotion or unsponsored campaign takes off, share the data with sales quickly, since proven performance is easier to sell than a concept. Package tentpole moments as full takeovers across pregame, highlights and postgame, keep the story going in chapters, and consider livestreaming draws with creators to boost reach and credibility.
