NFL Super Bowl Ad Goes Back to Flag Football Future

Throughout the NFL’s partnership with 72andSunny, one of the hallmarks has been a “helmets-off” strategy that lets audiences get to see players’ faces and know their personalities while maintaining a narrative pacing similar to in-game action. With flag football already removing the helmets, director Berg’s focus on fast-paced sports choreography—including giving the ball to Utah Girls Tackle Football League founder Sam Gordon—could showcase flag football players’ talent and personality at the speed of the game.

To make the action as realistic as possible, Berg teamed with a women’s sports choreographer who worked with the flag football players to create highlight moves and drill them for filming. With the exception of a Saquon Barkley-style hurdle that required some technical assistance, all of the on-field moves were made on the spot, with cameras cutting to Lynch and others for instant reactions. The creators involved wanted to let the flag football speak for itself—and make its best argument.

“I think we’re going to be the only commercial talking to a state athletic board,” said Zach Hilder, executive creative director at 72andSunny. “A lot of brands are trying to sell chips or beer, and that’s great, but the messaging on this is really to get a groundswell of people to create real change for these girls.”

Gaining yardage

The “NFL Flag 50” campaign is one of two initiatives the league launched with 72andSunny this postseason. Debuting during the conference championship games, the 60-second “Somebody” spot used the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s interpretation of Rev. William Holmes Borders’ poem “I Am Somebody” to pair NFL players with kids from New Orleans Big Brothers Big Sisters, InSideOut, and Special Olympics programs and highlight league youth efforts like PLAY 60 and Character Playbook.

The day before the Super Bowl, the NFL’s called attention to flag football by hosting a game between teams coached by WNBA star Angel Reese and captained by influencer ambassadors Kai Cent and iShowSpeed. Even after “NFL Flag 50” airs, the NFL plans on showing fans social clips of Westerlund and her international colleagues’ athletic journeys, the NFL stars’ ‘80s transformations, and the flag football players’ navigation of the post-Super Bowl media circuit. All of it is part of a greater strategy to draw interest beyond NFL games themselves and get young fans involved in the NFL Flag participation program.