Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders was drafted by and played for The Atlanta Falcons from 1989 – 1993. He also retired as a Baltimore Raven after the 2004 season. As Eagles fans, we will ignore the years with the Cowboys. Now, Sanders has joined a new team, The Pigeons, as their coach in a new DIRECTV spot from TBWA\Chiat\Day.
The centerpiece is a 30-second television commercial featuring Sanders as a pigeon named “Coach Prime.” Alongside his feathered friends Bobby (Boardwalk Empire’s Steve Buscemi) and Frank (Barry’s Henry Winkler), Sanders provides a bird’s-eye view of the many benefits of streaming DIRECTV using the Gemini device.
Both the 30-second and 15-second spots, directed by SMUGGLER’s Randy Krallman, illustrate how a couple in an apartment utilizes DIRECTV’s recently upgraded Your TV streaming interface to access a wide variety of football content without needing a satellite dish. Watch below:
In addition to the “Coach Prime” spot, a 15-second commercial titled “Game Plan” highlights the extensive array of college football games accessible on DIRECTV.
REELated:
“We’re thrilled to bring back DIRECTV’s favorite spokesbirds, Frank & Bobby, for another campaign,” says Mark Winters, Creative Director, TBWA\Chiat\DayLA. Winters adds, “It was very exciting to see audiences embrace and enjoy the duo after their first campaign took flight. This time, we’re even more excited to introduce a new member to the flock, voiced by the legendary Deion Sanders, just in time for football season. Deion was a joy to work with — and surprising to no one, he effortlessly stepped into the role of ‘coach’ for our two birds. Deion had no problem whatsoever bringing a believable performance when tasked with whipping our two complaining pigeons into shape. –
Vince Torres, Chief Marketing Officer at DIRECTV, expressed enthusiasm for the campaign, adding, “America fell in love with Bobby and Frank when we made them the stars of our nationwide campaign earlier this year to educate consumers that DIRECTV is available satellite-free. With Coach Prime, we’ve added a new confident and very astute bird to the flock who expresses his excitement over how DIRECTV delivers an unparalleled watching experience to sports fans.”
This campaign, created in a collab with TBWA/Chiat/Day/LA, represents a strategic move by DIRECTV to leverage Sanders’ public prominence. Despite a 4-8 record in his debut FBS season with the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders gained massive attention and ratings, particularly during their 3-0 start. He was named Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsman of the Year” last fall and has been a prominent figure in various media, including the Amazon Coach Prime docuseries on Prime Video.
DIRECTV’s multi-platform, 360-degree national advertising campaign will engage consumers through various digital, social, and experiential touchpoints. Both “Coach” and “Game Plan” will be featured in national linear TV buys, including college and professional football games. The campaign will also include digital out-of-home, and radio spots in high-impact locations across the United States, with additional experiential elements to be announced soon.
These spots highlight the ease of finding and streaming sports content, reinforcing DIRECTV’s position as a leader in sports broadcasting and content aggregation. And that’s why they are our Reel Ad of the Week.
CREDITS:
BRAND: DIRECTV
- Vince Torres: Chief Marketing Officer
- Kelly Jo Sands: SVP, Digital & Marketing
- Sheri Holmes: AVP, Advertising & Creative Services
- Sheida Karami: Senior Director, Advertising & Creative Services
- Ty Tanioka: Lead Marketing Manager, Advertising
AGENCY: TBWA\Chiat\Day
- Jason Karley: Executive Creative Director
- Mark Winters: Group Creative Director
- Ryan Buckley: Group Creative Director
- Dylan Cimo: Senior Copywriter
- Jono Moore: Senior Art Director
- Jon Ollom: Copywriter
- Bern Dalla: Art Director
- Robert Punchard: Executive Director of Production
- Anh-Thu Le: Executive Director of Production
- Alicia Portner: Senior Producer
- Tyler Hock: Associate Producer
- Dessiah Davis: Head of Content Delivery
- Anna Brito: Senior Content Delivery Manager
- Natty Hernandez: Content Delivery Coordinator
- Nyaze Vincent: Executive Producer, Integrated Production
- Van Corsa: Senior Producer, Digital Innovation / Integrated Production
- Robin Rossi: Director of Business Affairs
- Emily Machtinger: Senior Business Affairs Manager
- Eliane Rodriguez: Talent Payment Manager
- Nick Huynh: Finance Budget Manager
- Matt Theisen: Group Brand Lead
- Emily Gill: Brand Director
- Carlos Quintanilla: Brand Director
- Dalton Butler: Brand Supervisor
- Justin Rocha: Brand Executive
- Sami Rohde: Brand Executive
- Lawrence Gonzales: Project Manager
- Katie Acosta: Executive Strategy Director
- Hannah Schweitzer: Senior Strategist
- Laura Mayer: Head of Data
- Josh Brinkmann: Senior Data Strategist
- Kevin Anthony Bautista: Associate Director of Connections
- Finance
- Ashleigh Millette: Associate Director, Client Finance
PRODUCTION COMPANY: SMUGGLER
- Director: Randy Krallman
- Executive Producers: Patrick Milling-Smith / Brian Carmody / Allison Kunzman
- Managing Director: Sue Yeon Ahn
- Head of Production: Alex Hughes
- Producer: Ian Blain
- Production Supervisor: Chris Lane
- Commercial Coordinator: Kat Tingum
- 1st AD: Peter Morello
- Director of Photography: Jeff Kim
- Production Designer: Pete Zumba
- Casting Director: Beth Melsky of Beth Melsky Casting
- Costume Designer / Stylist: Janet Haas
EDIT: ARCADE
- EP: Crissy DeSimone
- Editor: Geoff Hounsell
- Assistant: Fernando Raigoza
- Senior Producer: Alexa Berman
- Producer: Wendy Umanzor
VFX: UNTOLD
- Creative Director Ben Cronin
- VFX Supervisor Sam Driscoll
- 2D Supervisor Alex Kulikov
- Executive Producer Nathan Hoad
- Producer Ashlyn Hardie
- Production Coordinator Jim Brown
- Head of Animation Tim Van Hussen
- Asset Supervisor Ash Tilley
- Online Supervisor Richard Harris
- VFX Lead Thomas Huizer
- VFX Lead Lewis Pickston
- VFX Lead Andrea Lacedelli
- VFX Artist. Amlan Mahapatra
- VFX Artist Ananda PM
- VFX Artist Bhavesh Budhkar
- VFX Artist Chris Winters
- VFX Artist. Dave Rose
- VFX Artist. Davide Pascolo
- VFX Artist. Doruk Saglam
- VFX Artist. Elena Ortego
- VFX Artist. Emre Samioglu
- VFX Artist. Earnest Victor Manuel
- VFX Artist Grant Bonser
- VFX Artist Hollie Gilbert
- VFX Artist James Primhak
- VFX Artist. Jan Kanta
- VFX Artist Joe Kane
- VFX Artist. Kalaiarasu P
- VFX Artist. Lalit Salunke
- VFX Artist Laurie Estampes
- VFX Artist Manon Cauzid
- VFX Artist. Marine Marques
- VFX Artist. Michele Fabbro
- VFX Artist. Ria Banerjee
- VFX Artist. Shiny Rajan
- VFX Artist Vinay Sharma
- VFX Artist. Vitalii Stadnyk
- VFX Artist. Zoe Furness
COLOR: UNTOLD VFX
- Julien Alary – Colorist
- Eli Sandal – Colour Producer
MIX: LIME STUDIOS
- Executive Producer: Susie Boyajan
- Associate Producer: Cassie Underwood
- Sound Mixer: Matt Miller
- Assistant Mixer: Ian Connie
AUDIO POST PRODUCTIONS: STRING & TINS @stringandtins
- Sound Designer – Culum Simpson
- Foley – Cobblestone Foley
- Audio Producer – Laura-Leigh Smith
PHOTOGRAPHY RETOUCHING: DIEGO SPERONI
- Diego Speroni: Digital Artist
- Freddy Fabris: Digital Producer
DIGITAL OOH: Omnicom Studios
- Noel Espiritu, Executive Producer
- Coral Gutiérrez,, Studio Designer
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Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on X at @colinthewriter1
