Football is a team sport, and the NFL doesn’t want to keep certain fans on the sidelines until there’s a special day to acknowledge them.
So when the NFL and the NFL Players Association decided to continue the NFL Votes public awareness and voter registration campaign launched in 2020, they wanted Hispanic and Latinx fans to be included in the conversation. Alongside a player-packed NFL Votes ad from longtime league creative partner 72andSunny, the league created a parallel campaign addressing the Hispanic audience.
“The Latinx community—they’re part of our fan base 365 days a year, and they are part of our mainstream messaging,” said Marissa Solis, svp of global brand and consumer marketing at the NFL. “Everything that we do is to engage them in every way, so that is why you will continue to see Spanish language, and you will continue to see the Latinx audience in a variety of our campaigns throughout the season.”
Hispanic fans are a pivotal part of the NFL’s audience. In total, Hispanics account for more than 40 million of the NFL’s U.S. fanbase, which league data and analytics partner Genius Sports puts at nearly 170 million. Globally, more than 100 million of the league’s 410 million fans are Hispanic.
With its massive reach, the NFL is looking to make an impact in the Hispanic voting community and what civil rights organization UnidosUS calls a “voter registration opportunity gap.”
In its Hispanic Electorate Data Hub, UnidosUS points out that there are 31.2 million Hispanic U.S. citizens of voting age. However, just 18 million are registered to vote, leaving 13.2 million potential voters without a voice. The NFL brought in Hispanic-focused earned media agency MEL—formed in September by Alma founder and chairman Luis Miguel Messianu, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman, and Lerma/ CEO and founder Pedro Lerma—to give fans a pep talk.
MEL recruited new Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales, currently the only Hispanic head coach in the NFL, and featured him in two spots—a 30-second ad talking to a packed locker room about the importance of Latinx votes during a presidential election year and a 15-second clip encouraging Latinx voters to register.
“As a Latino in the NFL, I understand the importance of representing our communities and making our voices heard to shape the future of our country,” Canales said. “Latino voices matter greatly, not just in politics, but in every aspect of our lives. I am proud to be part of this voting campaign as I believe we need to ensure that our perspectives are heard and valued because us Latinos bring strength to our collective future.”
