FIFA 23 X TED LASSO

Ea Sports · 2023

Brand: Ea Sports Brand: Apple Agency: EA Sports Agency: Apple United States Gaming Digital2023

AI Overview

AFC Richmond, the fictional team from Ted Lasso, became the first completely fictional team playable in FIFA 23. By treating the partnership as an in-world event rather than a sponsorship—using only character social accounts, no show branding—the campaign generated 13.2 billion earned impressions and drove 35% lift in Ted Lasso streaming, proving authenticity beats explicit brand integration.

Strategic insight

Fictional worlds gain credibility when treated with the same rules as real ones. By placing AFC Richmond in FIFA's authentication-obsessed ecosystem without corporate messaging, the partnership felt like a story moment, not a deal.

Earned Reach

Campaign generated 13.2 billion earned media impressions in 30 days with zero paid media spend. Over 2,000 global articles covered the partnership, creating more social buzz than the show's four Emmy Award wins. The launch film alone reached 7 million views on day one.

Business Result

AFC Richmond ranked as the 17th most played team in FIFA 23 out of over 700 real teams, demonstrating player adoption parity with authentic clubs. Streaming of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ increased 35%, directly linking the partnership to measurable platform growth.

AI Overview

Strategic insight

Earned Reach

Business Result

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