DraftKings invents Dr. Aftkings to diagnose fans for new NFL season campaign
The NFL season is huge for fantasy football, and fantasy sports company DraftKings is gearing up with a double dose of creative executions to entice gridiron fans, including a doctor who diagnoses “earnings dysfunction.”
Dr. Aftkings diagnoses a fantasy football player
‘Play’ and ‘Dr. Aftkings’ are the two parts of the first marketing initiative under Don Lane, senior vice president of brand and creative, who joined DraftKings after 21 years at Arnold Worldwide. Created by Deutsch’s NY office, the campaigns launch today (August 14) during ESPN’s Fantasy Football Marathon.
‘Play’ features a more inspirational tone and invitational call to action, while ‘Dr. Aftkings’ takes a lighthearted approach to educate fans about the various benefits of DraftKings one-week fantasy football.
“Our new NFL creative is designed to drive acquisition by bringing to life our brand positioning – The Game Inside the Game,” said Lane in a release. “The campaign highlights how DraftKings makes sports better by bringing fans closer to the games they love.”
The theme for ‘Play’ is, “You don’t just want to watch; you want to play.” It features original footage of football action shot by cameras placed on the field, inside the action. It includes four primary TV spots and several additional online videos as well as digital, social and outdoor executions.
The second creative execution features an eccentric character named Dr. Aftkings, who diagnoses fans who don’t have enough fantasy sports in their lives. His patients include those who suffer from “Draft-itis,” the “Lose-onic Plague” and “Earnings Dysfunction.” The remedy to these afflictions is to play DraftKings, so they can experience more drafting, more games against friends and hopefully more winning.
“DraftKings is a dream account. The marketing team is brave, collaborative and ambitious,” said Dan Kelleher, chief creative officer of Deutsch’s NY office. “The result is work that we’re extremely proud of and we’re confident will drive business this NFL season.”
This is the first campaign for DraftKings after a proposed merger with rival fantasy company FanDuel was called off after it looked like the Federal Trade Commission might block the merger.
