OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE X ESPN
STEAK IS FOR WINNERS

Outback was ready to pull the plug on its Outback Bowl partnership. The game had lost its luster, and their other agency's previous campaigns were no longer driving brand affinity or fan engagement. After a deep dive into the data, we proved Outback was right to be concerned. But the issue wasn't the Bowl partnership itself. It was the activation. Predictable, flat, and forgettable. I told them we could fix that.

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A Bold Audible

In a major pivot, I introduced a radically different creative strategy, leveraging fan and media insights, along with a contract restructure with ESPN, helping us secure three NCAA coaches and commentators (Mack Brown, Steve Spurrier, and everyone's favorite, Lee Corso).

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Creatively, my insight was simple. We all need a little coaching to up our game, especially for some of life's most complex questions like how to act at an office party or whether I should get married on Saturdays during football season. I wrote, produced and directed the 15-piece video content series and photography with only a $17K production budget.

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Campaign

15-piece video content series

Digital ads

ESPN Fantasy takeover

ESPN Radio ads

Outback Steakhouse POS (table tents and A-frames)

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The Results

The final product is not only funny, but it beat all Outback Steakhouse video content performance for the year, achieving a 99.7% video completion rate and earning a no-cost upgrade to an ESPN Feature on SportsCenter.

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