The NFL's 'You Better Believe It' Kickoff Ad Floats Fantasy, Fandom, and AI

Quick listen: The NFL’s “You Better Believe It” kickoff ad shows how AI and storytelling can fuse into a fan-first spectacle.

The NFL kicked off its 2025 season with a burst of candy‑colored creativity.

Its new campaign, "You Better Believe It," is a one‑minute, music‑video‑style ride that knows no production limits.

Fans from all 32 teams can be seen singing neck‑in‑throat atop a ginormous parade float, one built entirely from digital magic.

Directed by Kerry Furrh and Olivia Mitchell of TUSK and created with creative agency 72andSunny, the ad pairs live action with CGI and generative AI.

"Our fans are at the heart of this campaign — their joy, optimism and belief in what's possible — and we embraced AI to bring them even closer to the game they love," NFL CMO Tim Ellis explained in a news release.

Highlights draw from team culture. We see Major Tuddy fly, Joe Burrow sculpted in ice, and comedian Druski casually ride a dolphin.

The visuals pulse with whimsy and fandom, all set to Normani’s new spin on Quad City DJ’s "C’Mon ‘N Ride The Train."

"Being part of the NFL Kickoff commercial is such a monumental and personal moment for me," the "Love Lies" singer shared.

"I cannot remember a time when football was not a huge part of my household growing up, so now that I'm part of an NFL campaign, it means the world to my family."

The NFL made sure the cast reflected the diversity of its fanbase, even bringing in Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and TikTok’s Rizzler.

The Production Ingenuity Behind the Storybook Spectacle

With the help of generative AI, the NFL opened the season with a campaign fit for excited fans who wait all year for the games.

They can recognize themselves in nods to team legends and lore that's deeply specific.

Tight integration of AI and traditional CGI showed attention-grabbing visuals in human‑guided scenes.

This balance of tech and craft keeps the commercial from feeling soulless.

Starting the season with this level of energy raises expectations from the first snap. It sets a tone that’s as emotional as it is visual.

"The start of the season marks a new opportunity and a new journey with a new team.

We all have a great desire and hunger to win, and it's something you build one game, one day and one rep at a time," Hurts said.

Every frame is doing multiple things at once: sparking team pride, showing off creative range, and staying just playful enough to keep it fun. 

Our Take: Where Creative Vision Meets Technology

The NFL owned the moment by realizing wide‑eyed ideas in ways only modern tools allow.

Here’s what creative leaders can borrow from this:

• Build campaigns with liberation. AI let this campaign embrace the fantastical and still feel grounded.
• Mix media wisely. Ensure human touch for moments that need subtle expression and sensitivity.
• Embed culture into the spectacle. Visual ideas only sing when they resonate with the fan's world.

The NFL’s "You Better Believe" makes AI feel emotional, inviting every team’s fan into a carnival built for impossible dreams.

This campaign says that using AI in creative executions isn't necessarily negative.

You just have to fuse technology with appropriate brand storytelling and human touch, so the result can truly be experienced.

With the start of the football season, brands are, of course, jumping in. 

DUDE Wipes recently became the presenting sponsor of the Philadelphia Eagles' "Tush Push" play, launching a multichannel campaign running for the entire season.

The strongest AI-driven campaigns amplify emotion. These experts know how to balance machine capability with human storytelling: