How True Gent Helped Funko “Make It More Fun to be a Football Fan!”
In an exciting exploration of fandom and fun, LBB connects with Steve Williams, senior creative director of brand and marketing at Funko, and Jordan Brady, director at True Gent, to discuss their recent campaigns, ‘Smack Talk’ edited by Bill Marmor of Bungalow 5 and ‘Pop My NFL Life’ featuring NFL star CeeDee Lamb, edited by Susan Munro of Hybrid Collective.
This collaboration marks a unique approach, as both campaigns were developed without an agency, allowing for a succinct and streamlined creative process. With True Gent handling all aspects of production and post-production - truly a one-stop shop for Funko - the synergy between Steve and Jordan shines through.
Having previously collaborated on the agency side, they tell LBB’s April Summers how this partnership was their most enjoyable yet. With eye-catching end animation for the campaigns crafted by Spiffy LA via True Gent, this new campaign not only showcases the production company’s wide-ranging capabilities, but also successfully launches Funko’s playful entry into the world of sports fandom.
Having previously collaborated on the agency side, they tell LBB’s April Summers how this partnership was their most enjoyable yet. With eye-catching end animation for the campaigns crafted by Spiffy LA via True Gent, this new campaign not only showcases the production company’s wide-ranging capabilities, but also successfully launches Funko’s playful entry into the world of sports fandom.
As both spots continue to gain traction online, LBB finds out how Steve and Jordan combined forces to create engaging campaigns that celebrate football culture and Funko’s unique brand identity.
LBB> What inspired the concept behind Funko’s latest campaign? And how do they reflect Funko's brand identity and fan culture?
Steve> We wanted to hype the idea that Funko POPS are one of the best ways to show off your love for football. Whether you want a tiny NFL fan that looks just like you, or a pint-size NFL superstar, Funko lets you fly your football freak flag proudly.
And since no sports fan experience is complete without a little smack talk, we baked that competitive fan spirit into the entire campaign.
LBB> Jordan, how familiar were you with the Funko brand prior to collaborating?
Jordan> I’ve been a fan of Funko POPS for decades. MY kids still have theirs from growing up, and my grandkids have a handful.
LBB> How did Funko identify the target audience for this campaign, and what strategies did you use to engage them effectively?
Steve> We not only targeted collectibles fans who love Funko, but also the 218 million NFL fans in the US who are always looking for new ways to show off their love for the game. The NFL has a huge female fan base as well, which lined up perfectly with POP Yourself’s large female fanbase.
In addition to the integrated campaign across digital, social, and connected TV, we kicked off the NFL season with a Pop Yourself ‘Pop-Up’ at the Chiefs-Ravens season opener, letting fans customise their very own Pop of themselves decked out in their favourite team’s apparel.
LBB> Jordan, as a director, how do you approach incorporating humour into advertising for a brand like Funko that thrives on pop culture and fandom?
Jordan> Honestly, the humour was baked into Steve’s scripts. So with ‘Smack Talk’ my contribution (beyond basic production duties) was casting exuberant fans and getting heightened performances. We also had each actor play themselves as their Funko POP. We just pitched each POP voice up to match the diminutive collectibles.
For ‘Pop My NFL Life with CeeDee Lamb’, again the comedy is baked into the idea that the Dallas Cowboy and his POP look so much alike, CeeDee can have his POP do his work while he relaxes. So my job, as a director, is to just embrace that absurd reality.
I’d not seen CeeDee in a spot before, and we had limited time, but wow, he nailed it and was the most charming person to work with. He loved the idea and was truly blown away at how much his Funko POP looked like him. His initial reaction to holding his POP was: “Y’all got it right!”
LBB> What was the collaborative process like with Funko when developing the comedic elements for this campaign? How did their brand identity influence your creative decisions?
Jordan> I was lucky enough to have a handful of zooms with Steve to really hammer out the scripts and timings, tone and all. Working directly with the client who is also the ECD means he’s the decider. Talk about streamlined creative approval!
LBB> What were your goals in terms of audience engagement and reaction with the films? How do you think humour enhances the connection with fans?
Jordan> Humour always wins in any commercial. My goal was for folks to see how CeeDee was in on the bit and had a good sense of humour himself, just by playing along.
LBB> Can you walk us through the creative process for this campaign? What were some of the key challenges you faced, and how did True Gent help you overcome them?
Steve> We’re a lean team here at Funko, so while we created the overall campaign concept and the scripts, we leaned heavily on Jordan and the True Gent team to help us take our scripts and turn them into production-ready magic.
One creative puzzle to solve was how to voice the tiny Funko Pop fans. The voice is supposed to represent the fan’s ‘inner superfan’ so it needed to feel both similar and also quite a bit extra. Jordan had the great idea to record our ‘fan’ talent on set doing the Pop’s voice, then we pitched up the Pop’s voice in the edit to help it stand apart – and it’s just funny to hear!
We also had to plan our production around the availability of our NFL star CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys. He was heading into the regular season, so True Gent stayed nimble and ready to go once we found a date and time to get CeeDee on set for his shoot.
Jordan> Funko knows that everyone is a fan of something, and they have fun with that. Funko celebrates self-expression. So again, these scripts aligned with everything Funko means. I know directors often talk about that ‘human connection with the consumer’, but with comedy and 4 inch collectibles we already love, just be funny and save me the speech.
LBB> What has the response to the campaign been so far? And what are you most proud of about the campaign?
Jordan> People love both campaigns. The ‘Smack Talk’ spot with the fans for the dialogue and ‘Pop My NFL Life’ for the back and forth between CeeDee and his Funko doppelganger. The situations: CeeDee POP handling a press conference is my fav. A quick cutaway of a lil collectible POP at a sea of microphones.
Steve> The response to the campaign has been amazing. With our Pop Yourself product, it’s been fascinating to track sales to see which teams’ fan bases are responding the most (shout-out to 49ers and Cowboys fans!). And the CeeDee Lamb Funko Pop is selling fast and will likely sell out this season. Bigger picture, this is also a first step for Funko in raising the brand’s profile in sports, where we’re excited to help sports fans all over the world rep their teams in new, fun ways.
Personally, I love that our brand is showing up to the NFL in a way that is very authentic to Funko. We’re playful and fun, and we’ll leave the serious, gridiron vibes to the Under Armours and Nikes of the world. We’re here to make it more fun to be a football fan, because being a fan of anything is fun!
