Football season is historically a big subscription-driver for The Athletic. In their first campaign since becoming the official sports desk of The NY Times, the Athletic set out to use fantasy football as the hook.
The role of the brand? In-depth coverage and unique insights from The Athletic will help you lose less this upcoming season. This unassuming claim was inspired by the recognition that fantasy has become a lot less about winning, and a lot more about avoiding being last – thanks to last-place punishments that have become popular over the past few years.

The campaign uses a cheeky tone to highlight the insecurities of fantasy players and emphasizes how The Athletic’s quality journalism can help sports fans across the United States succeed in their fantasy football rankings and avoid the dreaded bottom of the bracket prize. The campaign came to life across multiple platforms, including out-of-home, interactive social, online video and audio.