On Sunday, the NFL showed off its new Superbowl ad “Born To Play” which was aired during its Superbowl game. The ad focused on playing to an international audience and was shot in the city of Accra, Ghana.
In an article on adage, the team behind the ad gave a behind-the-scenes look at how the ad was shot.
Details
The ad was shot by agency 72andSunny at Makola market in Accra. It managed to get NFL talent including Saquon Barkley, Justin Jefferson, and Cameron Jordan who all traveled to shoot the ad in Ghana.
72andSunny relied heavily on local resources rather than bringing the entire production in from outside.
The crew was 96% Black and included just seven people from the U.S. The director was Andrew Dosunmu of Little Minx, a Nigerian director.
“We didn’t want to recreate Ghana [in Los Angeles]. We wanted to be immersed in Ghana, so we had to go there,” said Nicole Haase, the agency’s director of production. “We had to experience the people, the culture, the casting, the local sights and sounds, the red dust that’s prominent in the dry season, the architecture, the colors—all that stuff was just at the ready.”
They shot on a Friday and Saturday—the two busiest days of the week—in the biggest market in Accra. The market was largely open during the entire shoot.
Zoom Out
Following last year’s “Run With It” spot with Diana Flores, quarterback of Mexico’s women’s national flag football team, 72andSunny wanted to continue to expand the perception of football beyond the stereotypical American view.
This is part of the NFL’s growth strategy in general. As safety concerns about tackle football continue to reduce youth participation in America, the league is looking for other ways to grow. These include expanding flag football, encouraging more women to play and building more interest in the game overseas.
In researching the latter, 72andSunny zeroed in on the NFL’s Africa program and Osi Umenyiora, the British-Nigerian former New York Giants player who runs it.
What They’re Saying
“The momentum around the global expansion of American football is real and exciting. Our intent is to embrace and celebrate this movement through powerful communication on our biggest stage, focusing on the growth of both flag and tackle football,” said Tim Ellis, the NFL’s chief marketing officer, in a statement.
“This is an inspiring and warm-hearted story about a boy from Ghana who fantasizes and dreams of playing football, and it celebrates the fact that anyone, from any background, can turn that dream into reality.”
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