EVERYONE HAS A MOMENT WHEN EVERYTHING FEELS UNCERTAIN.
THE QUESTION IS NEVER WHEN IT WILL HAPPEN, BUT WHO WILL BE THERE WHEN IT DOES.
THAT IS WHAT IT MEANS TO STEP UP.
For the National Student Advertising Competition, our team developed "We Step Up," an integrated campaign for the NFL. At its core, the campaign celebrates those who step up — teachers, doctors, coaches, teammates, friends — and the lasting impact those moments create.
LAUNCH FILM
As Creative Director, I created the campaign's featured commercial, which received the "Best Spot" award for its storytelling, editing, and overall execution.
VIDEO SERIES
Alongside the launch film, we expanded the story through player-led content, initiative-focused spots, and real community impact across social media, digital, and TV.
A consistent "sandwich" format gave the campaign's video content a shared opening and closing while leaving room to spotlight different initiatives and stories in between.
#ONEMOREFOR - SOCIAL ACTIVATION
#OneMoreFor extended the NFL's "Step Up" message into a participatory social challenge, inviting players and fans to dedicate their own "one more" to someone who had made a difference in their lives.
OUT-OF-HOME
For OOH, we wanted the work to feel just as immediate as the action behind the campaign. We built each placement around "WE STEP UP," then tailored the messaging and visuals to different initiatives, players, and communities.
Black-and-white photography, pops of color, motion blur, and in-the-moment imagery gave the work a sense of movement and urgency, while the flexible format let the campaign speak directly to the communities it's representing.
PAID SEARCH
This stage was all about meeting people at the moment they're actively looking for an answer. We built the strategy around "how to" searches, directly connecting real questions to relevant NFL initiatives and resources.
AUDIO
From there, we aimed to reach people in the moments when screens aren't present.
We developed "Step Up Stories", a podcast featuring players and coaches discussing the causes they care about and the initiatives they support. From cancer awareness to community advocacy, each episode showed how they step up beyond the game.
OWNED + EARNED MEDIA
Next, we focused on the most powerful storytellers: the players themselves. Players appeared on local and national platforms where they spoke directly about the causes they support.
Team social channels helped amplify these appearances, giving each conversation a larger audience while keeping emphasis on the players and their causes.
WEB
To give the campaign a central home, each NFL team got a dedicated "We Step Up" page within its existing website, giving fans a place to explore the initiatives and work happening in their community.
During the campaign promotion period, we also created a microsite that brought the NFL's existing initiatives together under the "We Step Up" umbrella.
STADIUM
Finally, We Step Up reached the stadium, bringing the campaign directly into the game-day experience.
Here, fans can connect with the stories and values behind We Step Up while recognizing the players, medical staff, first responders, and community members who stepped up when it mattered most.
MORE THAN A GAME OF INCHES, THE NFL BRINGS TOGETHER PLAYERS, INITIATIVES, AND COMMUNITIES AS ONE FORCE FOR GOOD.
AND SOMEWHERE, RIGHT NOW, SOMEONE IS WAITING FOR THEIR MOMENT OF BELIEF.
SO SPEAK UP.
SHOW UP.
STEP UP.
AND BECOME THE MOMENT THAT PERSON REMEMBERS FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIFE.
