Jack Link Spies Sasquatch At NFL Camps
- by Larissa Faw , August 18, 2015
Jack Link's mascot Sasquatch has played rock 'n' roll on a guitar sitting by a campfire, destroyed a wedding cake and been splayed by garden sprinklers. Now, Sasquatch is joining the NFL as part
of Preseason Now: Sasquatch Watch, a branded content partnership between Jack Link's, AOR Carmichael Lynch's engagement department, and Sports Illustrated's (SI) Branded Content
Studio.
"Leveraging an emerging platform of a trusted partner like Sports Illustrated is a great opportunity to deepen the connection between Jack Link's and our target
audience,” sayid Neil Goodspeed, Carmichael Lynch’s director of consumer engagement. "Matching Sasquatch's formidable size, strength and agility with a culturally current event such as pro
football training camp enables our team to heighten brand engagement.”
Sasquatch is featured in four long-form videos in which Sasquatch takes the field during practice
to learn from the pros, including Green Bay Packers Linebacker Clay Matthews and analysts Amani Toomer and Boomer Esiason. These individuals were selected to enhance the reality of the
concept. The Jack Link's Preseason Now set, for instance, was designed to mimic the look and feel of SI.com shows.
advertisement
advertisement
"As Sasquatch is entering the gridiron, we wanted to partner him with a well-known and easily recognizable football player, and who better to do that with than Clay Matthews whose beast-like qualities on the field and memorable hair could serve as inspiration (or be familial) to Sasquatch," said agency executives.
Episode 1: http://www.si.com/sasquatch
Episode 2: http://www.si.com/sasquatch
Episode 3: http://www.si.com/sasquatch
Episode 4: http://www.si.com/sasquatch
Then, select moments from these videos were made into GIFs, which will be distributed via social channels. To
further extend this concept, Sasquatch will receive a player profile of his own on SI.com, allowing visitors to see how he matches up against other
professional football talent, including his stats, playing style and potential challenges entering the league. In all, the concept serves as a continuation of the Messin with Sasquatch
campaign and Feed Your Wild Side.
"Through this partnership, Sasquatch—our beloved brand icon—continues to thrill fans through a series of fun,
over-the-top videos. In this case, he makes his way into uncharted territory — the football gridiron during training camp — and makes some ‘friends’ along the way, including
star linebacker Clay Matthews,” said Kevin Papacek, director of marketing, Jack Link’s. "Sports Illustrated is the perfect partner to bring this to life since we know sports fans love
to feed their wild sides with Jack Link's!”
Jack Link's has spent $105,000 on advertising during Q1 2015, similar to $100,000 spent in Q1 2014. Last year, the
brand's 2014 full year budget was $9.52 million, according to Kantar Media.
Carmichael Lynch and its sister shop Spong PR have represented Jack Link's in North America for the
past 11 years. Preseason Now: Sasquatch Watch is the first time Jack Link’s has worked in partnership with SI’s Branded Content Group, but the agency has worked together years prior
on other activations for the brand in other capacities.
Since Jack Link's was launched in 1985, the company has become the top-selling meat snack brand in the U.S.
