The One Show
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Category
Games / Gaming
Annual ID
OS23_BE005G
About the Work
How do you take a fictional English football club, from the most successful TV comedy show in the world, and their beloved (yet also fictional) mustachioed manager and make them real? You put them in the place where any REAL club could ever show up: EA SPORTS FIFA, the world’s biggest sports video game, featuring over 700 real clubs from around the world.
EA SPORTS joined forces with AppleTV+ to bring the Emmy-award winning show Ted Lasso to FIFA 23. While Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond aren’t real, EA SPORTS integrated them into FIFA 23 as if they were. But for gamers to accept it, the integration of Ted Lasso into FIFA 23 had to feel authentic and just like any other real club joining the game. That meant creating in-game versions of the club's stadium, jerseys, players, and of course, Coach Lasso.
Ted Lasso’s official Twitter account kicked off the partnership with a teaser post featuring the back of his head getting a 360º motion capture scan. Thousands of fans of Ted and EA SPORTS FIFA immediately started speculating about the possibility of Ted and AFC Richmond actually being in the game. The next day, our launch film confirmed the partnership.
This collaboration allowed FIFA 23 players and fans of the show to play with Ted Lasso and their favorite AFC Richmond players across multiple game modes.
The integration, which generated significant in-game engagement, social conversation and earned media coverage from gamers and entertainment fans alike, further reinforced EA SPORTS’ position as a leader in the evolution of sports fandom and entertainment.
Results:
17th most played team in FIFA (out of over 700 REAL teams).
Streaming of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ increased 35%.
Over 2,000 articles written globally about the partnership.
13.2 billion Earned Media impressions in the first 30 days.
With no paid media, the partnership got more social buzz than when the show, Ted Lasso, won 4 Emmy Awards.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 45
Gold Pencil
Credits
Client / Brand
Ea Sports
Apple
EA SPORTS FIFA 23 Development Team
Director of Brand Marketing
Kevin Strunk
Director of Strategy
Ben Prout
Head of Creative
Paul Marr
Senior Vice President, Legal & Business Affairs
Jen Stump
Vice President of Brand
David Jackson
Vice President, Business Development & Licensing
Ben Elliott
Vice President, Clearance & Integration
Lora Ducat
Vice President, Legal Affairs
Aaron Lowenstein
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