SeatGeek’s first-ever national ad campaign is an energetic homage to sports superfans

The new push includes two 30-second spots that spotlight different superfan archetypes: the guy who high-fives every stranger within his vicinity when something goes well, and the woman with inflatable ‘boomsticks’ who riles up the crowd with her energy. The core message is that SeatGeek handles the logistics of ticketing and attendance, so fans can do what they do best.

“A live event without fans just wouldn’t be the same. No chanting, no singing along, no looks of wonder – in many ways, no magic,” explains Sarah Kettler, SeatGeek’s vice-president of brand marketing. “For too many years, fans have been treated like a transaction, rather than the unsung heroes they are. SeatGeek is on a mission to change that.”

When consumers see the new ads, Kettler hopes they walk away with one takeaway: “We have your back. We have built our product with fans in mind, so they’re free to do what they do best: fan.”

Kettler says that while SeatGeek enjoys high brand affinity among current users, the platform is looking to get its name out to broader audiences. “We want more fans to know us,” she says. “Increasing our brand awareness allows SeatGeek to stay top-of-mind as a ticketer for when fans have a magical life-changing event they want to attend, and that makes us more competitive in today’s market.”

The push is part of a broader strategy to build brand love for SeatGeek in order to capture a larger portion of the increasingly competitive ticketing category – which is still commanded by formidable players such as Ticketmaster and StubHub. “Building a lasting brand is much more than a singular campaign, but we believe the message this campaign delivers – we have your back – is one that will help us build a longer-term relationship with fans, and in turn drive long-term growth for SeatGeek,” Kettler says.

The new campaign was concepted and executed in partnership with Fig, a New York-based creative agency that counts Spotify, CNN, Zillow, Virgin Atlantic and Macy’s among its clientele.

The ticketing platform tasked the agency with helping to “break through the clutter of the fan experience category,” explains Fig founder and creative chairman Mark Figliulo. “We knew we needed to help SeatGeek make smarter creative decisions and identify a white space to capitalize on within the fan experience category.”

The Fig team used a proprietary tool that processes visual, verbal and audio data across the ticketing category to inform its creative direction. Ultimately, says Figliulo, the agency was able to develop “a new brand platform designed to help SeatGeek scale and define a true north star to guide both communication and brand behavior” moving forward.

The new campaign will be activated across various consumer touchpoints; the 30-second spots will appear on both linear and connected television (CTV) platforms, in addition to various social posts and streaming audio placements. Media planning and buying was spearheaded by Wavemaker.

The effort may help fuel growth for the company, which recently abandoned plans to go public and, after raising an additional $238m in private funding, has achieved a valuation of approximately $1bn.

The SeatGeek team, for its part, is confident that it will see strong results. “Whether they’re looking for a great deal on tickets, want to level up their event experience or just talk to a real person, we are here to help. We believe this message will resonate with fans, and the creative choices we’ve made with the campaign will make it memorable,” says Kettler. “That will ultimately drive lasting growth for SeatGeek.”

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