Dive Brief:

• Buffalo Wild Wings is gearing up for football season with a new ad campaign that pairs its CGI buffalo mascot with former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• A 30-second hero spot, “You Up?,” shows Kelce downtrodden over his retirement before mascot Hank takes him to Buffalo Wild Wings and reignites the NFL player’s connection to the game. Another 15-second ad riffs on Kelce’s relationship with his brother, Travis, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.
• Kelce, an avowed bacon and wings lover, has curated menu picks at the casual-dining chain, which is also selling a T-shirt paying homage to the relationship between the athlete and Hank. Proceeds will be donated to Kelce’s (Be)Philly charity.  

Dive Insight:

Mania around the Kelce brothers continues to grip brand marketers that are looking to establish a stronger connection to football and a star sibling duo that have established themselves as media moguls off the field. Buffalo Wild Wings’ “Built for Football” campaign leans into Jason Kelce’s recent retirement announcement after 13 seasons with the NFL that saw the Eagles center named All-Pro six times. The effort is running on TV, over-the-top channels, radio and social media.

A new spot shows Kelce sobbing in a car on a video call with Hank, lamenting that he “messed up” and can’t actually walk away from football. Hank, bathing in a tub, quickly comes up with a solution in the form of a trip to Buffalo Wild Wings, where the athlete can indulge in beer, wings and game day viewing. 

A separate ad, “Brothers,” sees Hank listing off all of his shared qualities with Kelce, claiming the two are like the “brothers we’ve never had,” before Kelce corrects the mascot that he actually has a brother, Travis. Hank fires back, asking if Travis makes time for Jason, which sets the NFL icon to wondering. The creative gives a sly nod to Travis’ busy status as both a player fresh off a Super Bowl win and a tabloid item as the boyfriend of Taylor Swift.

“Built for Football” extends Buffalo Wild Wings’ marketing focused on mascot Hank, a CGI-generated buffalo with a pair of wings. The character is voiced by Beck Bennett. Hank debuted a year ago around the 2023-24 football season to roll out a larger messaging platform called “Let’s Go Sports Bar.” Stagwell agency Anomaly is behind the concept. 

Jason and Travis Kelce have stayed busy in the marketing arena, recently partnering with General Mills to promote the packaged foods giant’s cereal lineup. The brothers this week signed a pact that gives Amazon’s Wondery podcast network exclusive ad-sales and distribution rights to their “New Heights” program. The deal is valued at over $100 million, Variety reported.