Inside the Campaign: Deutsch’s “Dr. Aftkings” and “Play” for DraftKings
In the series Inside the Campaign, the 4A’s features creative work from its member agencies. Here, Deutsch takes you inside two new campaigns for DraftKings.
Campaigns: “Dr. Aftkings” and “Play”
Agency: Deutsch New York
Client: DraftKings
Program Background:
Gearing up for the NFL season, the New York office of Deutsch this week launched two creative executions — “Play” and “Dr. Aftkings” — for the fantasy sports firm DraftKings. This is the first marketing initiative under Don Lane, SVP of Brand and Creative, who joined DraftKings after 21 years at Arnold Worldwide. Both campaigns broke Aug. 14, during ESPN’s Fantasy Football Marathon.
“Our new NFL creative is designed to drive acquisition by bringing to life our brand positioning: The Game Inside The Game,” said Lane. “The campaign highlights how DraftKings makes sports better by bringing fans closer to the games they love.”
“DraftKings is a dream account. The marketing team is brave, collaborative and ambitious,” said Dan Kelleher, CCO 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.”
The two complementary creative executions that comprise the campaign are “Play,” designed to position DraftKings as the leader in fantasy sports through an inspirational tone and invitational call to action, and “Dr. Aftkings,” which uses a lighthearted, comedic approach to educate fans about the various benefits of DraftKings 1-week fantasy football.
In the case of “Play,” DraftKings research uncovered that there are two kinds of sports fans: those who sit back and watch, and others who lean in and participate by playing fantasy football — the game inside the game you love. The theme is, “You don’t just want to watch; you want to play.” It features original footage of dramatic football action shot by cameras placed on the field, inside the action. The story is told through dynamic, on-screen typography and invites sports fans to “play” DraftKings 1-week fantasy football. It includes four primary TV spots and several additional online videos as well as digital, social and outdoor executions. DraftKings will update on-screen text elements throughout the season to capitalize on fantasy football news in real time. The campaign was directed by William Campbell and Will Johnson of Gentleman Scholar and lensed by Academy Award-winning director of photography Claudio Miranda.
The second execution, “Dr. Aftkings,” uses humor to educate season-long fantasy football players about the benefits of also playing 1-week fantasy football. It 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 more winning—getting them closer to the games they love every week. Directed by Wayne McClammy.
Credits for “Dr. Aftkings”
Deutsch New York:
Chief Creative Officer, North America – Pete Favat
Chief Creative Officer, New York – Dan Kelleher
Executive Creative Director – Pete Johnson
Art Director – Krish Karunanidhi
Copywriter – Justin Lee, Jim LeMaitre, Jonathan Mackler
Director of Integrated Production – Joe Calabrese
Executive Producer – Shane Smith
Director of Integrated Business Affairs – Maria Taris
Group Director, Integrated Business Affairs – Stacy Schwartz
Head of Digital Strategy & Invention – Rachel Mercer
Sr. Strategist – Sidney Henne
Sr. Strategist, Digital – Rachel Gruber
Project Manager – Sean Gilleylen
Account Director – Andrew Arnot
Account Supervisor – Emily Doll
Account Executive – Mina Mukherjee
Client, Client Contact:
SVP, Brand & Creative – Don Lane
VP, Brand & Sports Marketing – Michael Shonkoff
Creative Director – Scott Salsbury
Director of Design – Thibault Kim
Senior Marketing Acquisition Associate – Ethan Shibutani
Strategic Partnerships – Gregory Sbardella
Marketing Specialist – Rob Hanson
Senior Manager – Josh Levin-Scherz
Production Company: Hungry Man
Director – Wayne McClammy
Executive Producer – Mino Jarjoura
Line Producer – Dave Bernstein
Director of Photography – Bryan Newman
Editorial: Cutting Room
Editor – Chuck Willis
Managing Partner – Susan Willis
Executive Producer – Anna Petitti
Telecine: Company 3
Senior Colorist – Tim Masick
Visual Effects: Light of Day
Creative Director/Partner – Colin Stackpole
Flame Artist – Pete DeAndrea
Music/Licensed Music Tracks: Extreme Music
Track – XCD070_01 SUPERBAD
Audio Post: Duotone
Executive Producer – Greg Tiefenbrun
Audio Engineer – Andy Green
End Tag Animation/Graphics Company: Light of Day
Creative Director/Partner – Colin Stackpole
Flame Artist – Pete DeAndrea
Credits for “Play”
Deutsch New York:
Chief Creative Officer, North America – Pete Favat
Chief Creative Officer, NY – Dan Kelleher
Director of Integrated Production – Joe Calabrese
Director of Print and Art Production – Sarah Manna
Executive Print Producer – Jeanette Luis
Print Producer – Melissa Betancur
Associate Producer – Marieme Sall
Executive Creative Director – Pete Johnson
Creative Director, Art – Marques Gartrell
Creative Director, Copy – Heather English
Art Director – Krishnan Karunanidhi
Director of Integrated Business Affairs – Maria Taris
Group Director, Integrated Business Affairs – Stacy Schwartz
Head of Digital Strategy & Invention – Rachel Mercer
Sr. Strategist – Sidney Henne
Sr. Strategist, Digital – Rachel Gruber
Director of Project Management – Clara Kim
Account Director – Andrew Arnot
Account Supervisor – Emily Doll
Account Executive – Mina Mukherjee
Client, Client Contact
SVP, Brand & Creative – Don Lane
VP, Brand & Sports Marketing – Michael Shonkoff
Creative Director – Scott Salsbury
Director of Design – Thibault Kim
Senior Marketing Acquisition Associate – Ethan Shibutani
Strategic Partnerships – Gregory Sbardella
Marketing Specialist – Rob Hanson
Senior Manager – Josh Levin-Scherz
Production Company: Gentleman Scholar
Directors – William Campbell & Will Johnson
Creative Directors – William Campbell, Will Johnson, Chace Hartman
Executive Producer – Christina Roldan
Head of Prodution: Rachel Kaminek
Line Producer – Robert Morales
Director of Photography – Claudio Miranda
Production Designer: Peter Kirkegaard
Coaching Consultant: Harvey Stables
Art Director – Trish Janovic
CG Supervisor – Adam Burke
Producer – Gregory Behrens
Designers – Chris Finn, Macauley Johnson, Cam Floyd, Hana No, Hana Eunjin Sean, Andy Lyon, Leah Evans, Vin Kim, Christina Liang, Juna Kwon, Juan Carlos Cuadra
2D Animators – Jaewoo Park, Juan Monasterio
Compositors – Joseph Brigati, Ari Reisner, Victor Torres, Kristjan Zaklynsky
Flame Artists – Kieran Walsh, Jamie Scott
Storyboards – Iain Slack
Riad Represents
Photographer – Thierry des Fontaines
Line Producer – Adele Thomas
Digital Tech – Alexander Quel
First Assistant – Wayne Hoecherl
Second Assistant – Mackenzie Walker
Editorial: Whitehouse Post
Executive Producer – Caitlin Grady
Editor – James Dierx
Assistant Editor – Sam Omenn
Steelhead
Executive Producer – Jeff Morgan
Senior Motion Designer/Editor – Juan Guzman
Editor – Matt Mullen
Motion Designer – Yui Uchida
Post Producer – Samantha Addy
Telecine: Carbon VFX
Senior Producer – Paul O’Beirne
Colorist – Milan Boncich
Music/Licensed Music Tracks
Original Music and Sound Design by Human World Wide
“Week to Week” Composer(s) – Matthew O’Malley & Thomas Keery
“Leagues” Composer(s) – Jon Collins & Thomas Keery
“Perfect Lineup” Composer(s) – Michael MacAllister & Thomas Keery
“Winning” Composer(s): Andrew Bloch & Thomas Keery
Audio Post: Post Human
Executive Producer – James Wells
Senior/Post Producer – Craig Caniglia
Creative Lead/Sound Design – Mike Jurasits
Post Engineer – Albert Leusink
Assistant Post Engineer – Robert Suchecki