American Icons
The Ask
Sling TV 2024
The brief for the Sling News campaign was to develop a campaign that would strategically communicate across three distinct messaging territories, each with a unique tone to address different audience segments. The core "reason to believe" (RTB) centered on the value that Sling offers—positioning the service as an affordable and comprehensive news solution. The secondary message focused on flexibility, highlighting Sling’s customizable packages that allow users to tailor their news experience to fit their needs.
This required a creative approach that balanced informative messaging with engaging visuals, while ensuring that each strategic territory spoke to a specific audience, whether they were value-seekers, tech-savvy viewers, or those desiring a tailored viewing experience.
The Process
This campaign was my baby from initial brainstorm through to the last digital deliverable. In order to take the concept to the next level, we evolved beyond the traditional settings of what Sling had been doing to bring history into the present, asking “How would some of America’s most iconic figures get their news today?”
Using custom AI image generation, we were able to create visuals that would have been difficult and costly to produce traditionally. We crafted a composition with Abe Lincoln, and his eagle sidekick Bill, watching Sling to stay informed. Using such popular, inarguably iconic American imagery in this context blends playful absurdity with reverent trustworthiness, directly connecting the approachability of the messaging with the unexpected, yet familiar, nature of the imagery. Another aspect we love about the absurdity of this approach is the ability to play with more than just historical figures and take it a step further by utilizing iconic American symbols.
The Result
The "American Icons" campaign was widely celebrated as one of the most successful in our agency’s history, earning praise from the CEO for its innovation and execution.
By utilizing AI, we cut production time by 50% (4 weeks instead of 8) and eliminated traditional production costs, saving over $100k. The flexibility of AI also allowed for unlimited variations and reworks without additional expenses, making it not only faster and cheaper but highly adaptable to campaign needs.
Performance-wise, the campaign outperformed all previous “champion” creative by a significant margin, delivering a 54% lower CPA in programmatic display. It became the most efficient CPA-driving creative across multiple channels, with a 25% better CPA on META and display compared to business-as-usual creative. The campaign was responsible for driving 35% of total News GAs since launch, ranking in the top three GA-generating ads for Sling’s News category.