On Super Bowl LI, the NFL decided to demonstrate the power of football to bring people together, to show how the values of football transcend the gridiron, and to depict the unifying power of the game. The root of this concept was a simple truth that together, we are stronger, and our diversity makes that so. Airing during the second half of Super Bowl LI between the Atlanta Falcons and New England Patriots, our 60-second spot brought that simple truth together with the words: "Inside these lines, we may have our differences, but recognize there is more that unites us."

Narrated by Forest Whitaker, the spot is accompanied by an original interpretation of Lonnie Liston Smith’s “Garden of Peace” by Jon Batiste.

MEDIA  Broadcast / Print / Digital / Social
ROLE  Group Creative Director
AGENCY  Translation
AWARDS  Clio Sports - Bronze

Beyond stirring national dialog, "Inside These Lines" was featured in posts by NY Senator Chuck Schumer (click here), the YouTube AdBlitz' front page, ranked in the top 10 of Super Bowl ads on USA Today's Admeter, as well as part of a recap from Stephen Colbert with musical guest (and our musical collaborator) Jon Batiste.

The campaign spanned across broadcast, print and social media fusing the visuals of the field with quotes, stanzas and key words that helped to carry our message of unity and bridge the tenets of the game into the world outside of football.

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Then, on September 24th, more than seven months after the spot was aired, Trump decided to take on NFL players who kneeled during the National Anthem as a form of protest of racial injustice in the United States. In a rally in Alabama he said “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say: ‘Get that son of a b— off the field right now, out. He’s fired. He’s fired!’”

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In order to rally their audience and plant a true flag that showed their dedication to inclusivity, and embracing diversity across the field, a response was given. The league decided to raise that flag in the air and re-broadcast ‘Inside These Lines’, the spot originally intended to be used only at the Superbowl. The one-minute ad ran during NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” telecast.

“We think this is the single best response to demonstrate what we are about.”
— an NFL spokesman told CNN, making the news, the spot, and the surrounding conversation, spread like wildfire.