The situation presented a unique challenge: crafting a comprehensive 360 campaign to inform viewers about Nickelodeon's inaugural alternate broadcast of the Super Bowl. This was a first of its kind event, as the Super Bowl has always only had one telecast. The brief tasked us with leveraging our comedic brand tone of voice and beloved animated characters and creating assets that captured the essence of childlike anticipation, epitomized by the playful query, "Are We There, Yet?!" The objectives were clear: drive younger viewers to the Super Bowl, dominate social media engagement, and cultivate stronger brand affinity for Nickelodeon.

The creative motivation was to innovate within a familiar cultural event. First and foremost, we did this by injecting humor and playfulness into a typically straightforward, or action-oriented space. Second, by overlaying eye-catching animated visuals onto NFL highlights. Third, infusing the promotion with the point-of-view and tone-of-voice of SpongeBob and Patrick, who have no idea what football is. The campaign promised a new experience, enticing viewers to say, "I have to check that out," and creating cultural buzz around our unique broadcast.

Our campaign strategy embraced a multi-platform approach, prioritizing connections with kids and families across various digital spaces. We ensured our brand was omnipresent online, smartly leveraging our animated characters within promotions to resonate with our target audience. Repetition messaging, such as "Live from Bikini Bottom only on Nickelodeon," reinforced our unique offering, emphasizing that viewers would still experience the real, live game without it being obscured or overtaken by full animation. Additionally, it was crucial to strategically create a sense of belonging; everyone needed to feel welcome and included at our Super Bowl party. We wanted our broadcast to be a gathering place for fans of all stripes, fostering camaraderie and fun during the biggest cultural moments surrounding the Super Bowl.

The nostalgic blend of classic characters and high-quality animation captured the attention of all generations. Nickelodeon was the MOST mentioned brand on Super Bowl Sunday, more than CBS, Apple Music and any Super Bowl Ads.

Combining the biggest sporting event of the year with the biggest animated franchise worked perfectly. Fans loved the humor, irreverence and the surprise element of what could happen next, not just on the field, but in our promotions, memes, social posts and more.

Making over 9.1 BILLION impressions, Super Bowl 58 Live From Bikini Bottom was the most watched Super Bowl among K2-11 and K6-11 in 7 years. Plus, over 224 million views and 18 million engagements across social platforms.

Press coverage speaks for itself:

-”Never watching it any other way. Internet goes wild.”--USA Today

-”An ingenious, wildly chaotic, splash”--Guardian

-”Forget Romo and Nantz, give us SpongeBob and Patrick in the booth every week”--Deadspin