To increase viewership of NFL Network Path to Prime time programming and engage fans with NFL Network online properties, we capitalized on the trend of the yearly incoming rookie that garners celebrity attention. He blows away the competition at the NFL Scouting Combine, captures one of the coveted top draft picks and becomes the next professional football star. We set out to seize that media attention with our own rookie sensation, Leon Sandcastle.

NFL Network launched the character via a Super Bowl commercial starring retired Hall of Fame player and current NFL Network personality, Deion Sanders. We made the most of buzz surrounding the spot by launching social media platforms (Twitter and Instagram) for adoring fans to connect with Leon; in turn, Leon Sandcastle became a headline in both sports and mainstream press.

Leon’s life continued in the weeks following Super Bowl XLVII through innovative media and marketing partnerships. NFL Network leaked footage of his outstanding performance at the Scouting Combine, partnered with Under Armour to release Sandcastle gear on NFLShop.com and joined forces with video game powerhouse EA Sports to bring the character to life in Madden NFL, the best-selling EA Sports franchise.

In addition to 120+ million media impressions and widespread fan engagement, the campaign drew in record ratings for NFL Network’s coverage of the Scouting Combine, with an +11% lift in broadcast viewers and a +33% lift in unique users to NFL.com and NFL Mobile.

The PR campaign launched with a Super Bowl commercial featured a disguised Deion Sanders who, under the name 'Leon Sandcastle' re-enters the league by outshining the competition at the NFL Scouting Combine. The spot culminates with his #1 overall selection in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Upon the spot airing, NFL Network strategically created platforms for fans to connect with Leon Sandcastle content on social media (Instagram and Twitter).

In the following weeks, the NFL fed the interest of the fans and media surrounding Leon Sandcastle. We leaked footage of his Scouting Combine performance, partnered with Under Armour to create merchandise and posted updates on Sandcastle’s progress leading up to NFL Draft.

The Leon Sandcastle phenomenon garnered over 120 million media impressions and posted strong engagement results through 49,000+ Twitter followers and 42,000+ Instagram followers. Most importantly, our main goal of driving tune-in was achieved as the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine on NFL Network earned a record high total of 7.25 million viewers, an increase of +11% from 2012. On the digital front, unique users to NFL.com and NFL Mobile during the week of the Combine increased by +33% to over 10 million, with an +89% increase in live video streams of Combine Live.