Netflix was launching THE CREW, a new comedy series starring Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop, The King of Queens), centered around a fictional NASCAR team. The streamer sought out the perfect brand partner: Busch Beer, the official beer of NASCAR.

NASCAR fans are deeply invested in their sport's history. To support the launch of the series, Netflix and Busch wanted to create a meaningful way to engage and celebrate their shared NASCAR fan base while generating excitement for THE CREW.

To bring NASCAR, Netflix, and Busch fans deeper into the world of THE CREW, we took a little-known character from the series and gave him a legendary NASCAR backstory – bringing that legend to life the way you would immortalize a sports icon: a documentary.

The five-minute fake documentary packs in laughs as it examines the bold origins of Bobby Spencer, the magnetic team owner from THE CREW. The film mixes NASCAR archival footage from the 1970s with original footage of a casted "Young Bobby." Real celebrity interviews add authenticity as they share their personal "history," from Jane Seymour describing her love affair with Bobby to Seal expressing his distaste for Bobby's showmanship. Busch Guy (the well-known spokesperson for Busch Beer) informs us of the unexpected role Busch beer played as a catalyst for Bobby's racing career, which in turn inspired the NASCAR champion and Busch team driver, Kevin Harvick.

The beauty of NASCAR races is that the outcome doesn't really matter. You're connected by an experience that lasts for days instead of hours—bonded by friends, memories, and experiences closer to a festival than a sporting event.

NASCAR fans roll their identities into the teams they support. They crave content that shows them a side they might not have seen before, content that brings them into the fold and part of the crew.

For the launch of THE CREW on Netflix, we wanted to give the audience a new chapter to experience together and bring them into the Bobby Spencer Racing family from the series.

In the week leading up to, during, and following the biggest NASCAR event of the year, the Daytona 500, we promoted the film across digital, social, broadcast, and Out-Of-Home targeting our NASCAR audience.

We promoted the film with a 30-second trailer that aired multiple times during the Daytona 500 race on national television to millions of captive NASCAR fans. It also had a premium placement on YouTube with a masthead on race day.

The trailer also ran on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Busch promoted a giveaway on their organic social channels with exclusive vintage Bobby Spencer racing T-Shirts.

To reach super fans attending the Daytona 500 race, we strategically placed digital and static billboards along the route to the race track. The intent was to drive intrigue with a simple "Who Is Bobby Spencer?" statement. Aerial banners with the same creative flew overhead throughout the race weekend, too.

The campaign resulted in the highest Daytona PR coverage to date by over 3x that of last year for Busch and the fourth most Busch campaign mentions of all time.

To date, the trailer and film views have reached over 2 million combined. The campaign sentiment is nearly 100% positive as initiatives have been well-received by NASCAR fans.

And, Jeff Lowell, Netflix's THE CREW series creator, praised the film, saying, "the fans love this campaign...wish I could take credit."