Campaign Trail is our analysis of some of the best new creative efforts from the marketing world. View past columns in the archives here.
The ad landscape is awash with betting apps and prediction markets, and whether they’re getting looksmaxxing makeovers or wearing nothing at all, celebrities are the stars of the show. Most brands in the space have opted for sports stars, popular comedians or figures from TV and film as the talent in their spots. For its latest effort, Polymarket chose all of the above.
The brand in September kicked off the “Polymarket HQ” campaign with a 60-second anthem spot that introduces consumers to its fictitious headquarters: a skyscraper with floors dedicated to topics including politics, the economy, culture and technology.
LeBron James pushes an elevator button to take him to a section of the Polymarket HQ dedicated to sports, and the doors open to reveal an open office with the hectic energy of a trading floor. Actor John Leguizamo launches footballs with a Jugs machine; football coach Bob Stoops plays mini-golf; director Spike Lee chats with WNBA legend Sue Bird; James chats with MLB Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and comedian Craig Robinson; actor Alexandra Daddario sits at a desk; model Emily Ratajkowski appears on a video call.
The action peaks as quarterback Eli Manning turns the tables on cornerback Richard Sherman, tackling the latter through a wall. Ticker tape falls, a marching band appears and rapper Jay Rock’s triumphant “Win” plays on the soundtrack.
The frantic fun continues in Polymarket’s latest ads, which tell stories about its features by keying in on smaller groups of ambassadors. Sherman and Daddario breathe through tough trades; Manning attempts to recruit Lee to his in-app squad; and Jeter refuses to help Robinson. A standout 30-second ad focuses on the chaos of football trades, features Manning, Stoops and running back Reggie Bush and is set to a heavy metal soundtrack.
“Polymarket HQ brings the energy of sports and prediction markets to life in a way that feels unmistakably Polymarket: bold, unexpected and built around the people and moments that make sports so fun. Squads puts that same energy directly in the product,” Travis VanderZanden, Polymarket’s chief growth officer, said in a statement.
The ads will run across TV, digital, out-of-home and social media in the U.S. and were created with Stagwell creative agency Today on the Moon. The embryo of the creative began with Polymarket, which then tapped the shop to expand the concept.
“It really was about building this expandable world and diving into what would happen in a fictional Polymarket office, but having a space that allowed us to fill it with lots of interesting types of people. Obviously, there's a huge celebrity roster that we were fortunate enough to work with, but we can tell lots of different types of stories there,” said Tom Suharto, chief strategy officer at Today on the Moon.
Building a roster and a world
The roster came together in different ways, with some stars early to the lineup and others late-breaking additions. James’ partnership with Polymarket is expected to focus on football — not basketball, the sport where he is set to begin a record 24th season — and is reportedly worth $15 million per year. But no matter the betting market or feature they are being used to highlight, the celebrities all have strong personas that are referenced or riffed on in the ad creative.
“Audiences have such a relationship with them already that we just wanted to keep it simple and tell a relatable story about what it would be like for these people to be hanging out together, whether they're in a Squad or whether they're live trading, and just allow for natural fun to ensue,” Suharto said.
The campaign’s large roster — which doubles down on the celeb-heavy playbook used by Super Bowl advertisers for years — presented its own opportunities and challenges. The agency had to figure out how to maximize both set time and screen time for some of the biggest names in sports and entertainment.
“There were a lot of logistical challenges, and at a scale of a production like this, there were curveballs left and right, but at the same time, we knew the type of story we wanted to tell,” Suharto said. “Once we knew what we were doing, we could handle some of the curveballs — this person's not available, we're going to get this person instead — and it all worked out.”
The campaign arrives as Polymarket, like its competitors, looks to establish and differentiate its brands in a crowded, evolving marketplace. Apart from being a parade of celebrity encounters, the effort had to share a core message about Polymarket and its features. And while this campaign is focused on sports, it seems adaptable to tell the story of the other “floors” at Polymarket HQ.
“That's the fun part of building a world that you own. If we want to go back to it or if we want to hit another cultural moment … it gives us a lot of opportunity,” Suharto said. “It's not to say we've charted out all these future chapters, but we intentionally gave ourselves some flexibility to do so.”
