Paul Walter Hauser has gone to the dogs. The Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor stars as “The Dog” in Underdog’s new national campaign, “Unleash Your Dog,” the first work created with the sports prediction and fantasy brand’s new agency of record, Curiosity.
Directed by The Righteous Gemstones filmmaker Jody Hill, the campaign introduces Hauser as a yellow-tracksuit-wearing, gold-chain-sporting, smooth-talking mascot who helps his owner navigate making picks on the Underdog app.
Essentially, Underdog has turned its brand personality into an actual guy.
And that guy is Paul Walter Hauser.
“Sports fans get us, and we get sports fans, so we’ve been leaning into our rascal personality more and more,” said Devin Bellamy, senior director of integrated marketing at Underdog. According to Bellamy, Hauser’s ability to stay grounded while delivering absurd comedy made him a natural fit for the character.
“Paul was perfect because he embodies the playful nature of Underdog,” Bellamy said. “His ability to make people laugh by staying authentic made him the ideal partner.”
The campaign includes six hero films supported by a short-form video series called “Own the Wait,” designed specifically to run during commercial breaks – precisely when sports fans may be checking their live picks. Watch below:
REELated:
Liquid Death and goodwipes want to give your butt a ‘Buttler’
For Hauser, “Unleash Your Dog” also marks his first venture into advertising. “I’m thrilled to be making my first foray into advertising with a team like Underdog,” Hauser said. “We’re like-minded in how we view serving the brand while entertaining an audience and creating a vibe that will hopefully turn some heads and be a loud cork pop for the start of this veritable party.”
It’s smart media-context thinking that lets Underdog talk to fans during downtime between the action rather than simply interrupting it.
The work will run nationally across broadcast, cable, streaming and CTV, along with YouTube, social, radio, audio, out-of-home and programmatic media. Creator partnerships and experiential activations are also planned around major moments throughout the football season.
The campaign kicks off Curiosity’s relationship with Underdog after the independent agency was named the company’s creative and media agency of record in June. Curiosity is working alongside Eden Collective and 23 Below on media.
“The Dog” won’t be confined to advertising either.
Underdog plans to bring the character’s spirit into its app through new product experiences spanning fantasy sports and prediction markets. The company recently launched its own federally licensed prediction market exchange, wholly owned and operated by Underdog and licensed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The expansion gives users additional ways to make predictions around sports, culture and other topics within the existing Underdog platform.
The campaign also arrives during a significant period for the company. Last month, IG Group Holdings announced an agreement to acquire Underdog. Following the transaction, Underdog is expected to continue operating as a commercially standalone business with its existing brand, management team and operational platform.
For now, the brand is heading into football season with a new agency, a rapidly expanding business and a mascot who looks like he might either help you make your picks or sell you something questionable out of the trunk of a Cadillac.
Either way, The Dog has officially been unleashed.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Underdog
AGENCY: Curiosity
Colin Costello is the West Coast Editor of Reel 360 News. Contact him at colin@reel360.com or follow him on LinkedIn.
