The Eli Manning Show
- Best Branded Content or Series
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
The Eli Manning Show is a New York Giants in-house produced show hosted by two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. The show explores the connection between the Giants and celebrity fans, influencers, and athletes.
How does this represent “Excellence in Engagement”?
A concept executed on this scale featuring the quantity of A-List celebrities hasn't been seen before with sports teams. This show expands beyond sports and athletes, tapping into the entertainment space and social media-specific influencers. The show was produced completely in-house by the Giants’ marketing department, including PR strategy to promote the show. In addition, no professional sports team has been able to create content using alumni that has had the scale that this show has achieved.
Unique teasers were created specifically for social media to promote each episode. Each showcased the true talent of the celebrity on the show, making the content unique while also capturing the attention of a different audience, which was a huge factor in the increased engagement.
The show has directly led to significant growth on the Giants social media platforms. The content has resonated with viewers so much that it has led to engagements per post across all social media channels to grow 134.8% YoY, raising the Giants overall ranking from 20th in 2021 to 8th in 2022.
In addition, the Giants Tik Tok account grew 28.6% YoY, the YouTube channel grew 20%, and the Instagram account grew 15.5% YoY increase.
Objective
The Eli Manning Show, produced in-house by the New York Giants marketing department, is an unprecedented, team-created content series that premieres exclusively on Giants social media platforms.
The 16-episode series, hosted by two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, connects the Giants’ brand with A-list celebrities, influencers, and athletes. No professional sports team has created content this successfully at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and lifestyle while securing this type of high-profile talent for content on team social media platforms.
Some of the guests this season included Pete Davison, Ryan Reynolds, Derek Jeter, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen A. Smith, YouTube Star Deestroying, Fivio Foreign, and Stranger Things star Sadie Sink. In addition to A-List celebrities, the team curated top social media-first influencers, such as Cugine, The Food Boss, The People’s Gallery, and viral sensation SideTalk NYC, all of whom have significant social media followers which allowed the Giants to reach a new audience to help grow their social media channels.
At the center of the Emmy Award-winning show is Eli Manning, who has transcended sports to become a national brand.
This has allowed the Giants to reach coveted demographics and a diverse audience not only in-market but internationally.
Strategy & Execution
The Giants social media team put together innovative social and public relations strategies to tease out the launch of each episode.
Sponsors of the show were integrated in an authentic way. Cards from Panini America were used in several episodes of the show, Dunkin’ products were subtly placed in each episode, and Rider had brand integration.
Organizations
- New York Giants
Athletes & Celebrities
- Eli Manning
- Derek Jeter
- Michael B. Jordan
- Pete Davidson
- Ryan Reynolds
- DJ Envy
- Fivio Foreign
- Jimmy Fallon
- Sadie Sink
Creators
- Cugine
- Deestroying
- The Food Boss
- The People’s Gallery
- SideTalk
Nilay Shah
SVP, Marketing & Brand Strategy
New York Giants
Don Sperling
VP & Executive Producer
New York Giants
Emma Kaptein
Manger, Social Media
New York Giants
Cristina Sinofsky
Social Media Coordinator
New York Giants
Dan Culleny
Producer
Dylan Landon
Producer