• by Danielle Oster , August 16, 2024

Ahead of football season, DirecTV drafted Deion Sanders for the latest installment of its “For The Birds” campaign.

The ad sees the coach of the NCAA’s Colorado Buffaloes (and former NFL and MLB star)  make his first appearance as an animated pigeon named “Coach Pigeon Prime,” in a 30-second ad called “Coach,” joining existing characters played by Steve Buscemi and Henry Winkler, named Frank and Bobby.

“For The Birds” initially took flight earlier this year as a way to showcase that DirecTV is now available without a satellite dish, playing on the premise that it was good news for customers but has ruffled feathers in the avian world.

In the new ad, Sanders’ rock dove “Coach Prime” drops in to advocate for an attitude adjustment and celebrate streaming “nonstop football” on DirecTV. The 30-second ad made its TV debut on August 12. In addition to “Coach,”  the campaign also includes a second ad, entitled “Game Plan,” which focuses on the wide range of college football matchups available with DirecTV.

Both “Coach” and “Game Plan” will run as national linear TV buys, including during NFL and NCAA football programming, as well as across digital, social, and experiential advertising channels. This will include digital OOH radio spots running in “bespoke high-impact placements across the United States,” according to DirecTV.

The large national campaign follows both the rollout last year of DirecTV’s Gemini devices allowing streaming without satellites, and the introduction of its “Sports Central” service allowing viewers to stream any pro football game from one location via Gemini.

DirecTV is also partnering with Draft Kings for a promotion timed to the start of football season, giving audiences the chance to win cash prizes via a free-to-play Daily Fantasy Contest series, with the Frank and Bobby characters “hosting” five games throughout the season.