Records Are Made to be Broken: Falcons Mascot Soars Into Record Books
The 7th Annual Awards
- Best Short-Form Video
ABOUT THIS ENTRY
How do you top a 2023 season filled with viral aerial stunt moments? Set a world record!
Last season, the Atlanta Falcons became known for their aerial stunts with Freddie Falcon and hip-hop artist Ludacris combining for four stunts totaling 50 million video views through a combination of ziplines and rappelling performances from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium roof. In order to raise the roof on these nerve-racking stunts, the Falcons aimed for Guinness World Records.
Prior to the team's Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Guinness World Records team came to Atlanta for official measurement of Freddie Falcon's attempt at the highest indoor rope swing drop. The Falcons captured the moment via behind-the scenes video as the mascot walked through the stadium catwalk, leaping from a beam underneath the video board. In addition, the stunt was filmed with 360 camera that Freddie held throughout the stunt.
How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?
The represents excellence in engagement as the top NFL Instagram video in 2024 across team and club accounts. It's the best Instagram post for the Atlanta Falcons of all time, nearly 6x the 2nd-highest ranking Instagram post, another viral video of Bijan Robinson shot from the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. With over 80 million video views across all Falcons social platforms, the video continues to grow in both views and engagement as of early March, roughly seven months after the video was posted.
Furthermore, the video didn't rely on game action to be successful, expanding its reach beyong Falcons fans, football fans and sports fans in general.
Objective
* Build upon success of 2023 stunts, furthering the Falcons leadership in in-game entertainment
* Use Guinness World Records platform to expand reach
* Collab with Freddie Falcon, NFL, and Guinness World Records to target expanded audience
* Showcase Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a unique and best-in-class facility
* Appeal to non-traditional football fans by going beyond the game
* Appeal to non-football audience
* Use a 360 camera to allow for reframing throughout the video and stabilization
* Allow for earned media around the video and stunt
* Showcase the sponsor, Crocs, throughout the content to maximize visibility
Strategy & Execution
We reached out to Guinness World Records during the offseason after identifying the possibility of besting the previous record for "highest indoor rope swing drop." After setting up the stunt time and location, an official measurement team was enlisted to record the exact height of the drop, and an official from Guinness World Records flew to Atlanta to commemorate the occasion.
The Atlanta Falcons digital team used an Insta360 X4 camera mounted on a selfie stick to capture the unique up-close angle, which could be stabilized throughout the jump. After the jump, the video was edited, colored, and sent to the social team in 9x16 format for posting.
Collab requests were sent on Instagram to Freddie Falcon, the NFL, and Guinness World Records.
The production team also captured a behind-the-scenes video of the jump as the mascot walked through the catwalk, got secured to the rope swing, and lept into history. That video was posted a few days after the jump, allowing fans to relive the viral moment from another perspective.
Two weeks after Freddie's record jump, Kaylee Hartung of the TODAY Show came to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to attempt a similar zipline stunt, generating additional national exposure.
Organizations
- Atlanta Falcons
Links
Featured
- Freddie Falcon
- Guinness World Records
Credits
Scott Kegley
Vice President, Digital and Production
Atlanta Falcons
Kurt Wisenbaugh
Director, Live Events & Entertainment
Atlanta Falcons
Jeremy Legg
Mascot Manager
Atlanta Falcons
Tameka Rish
SVP, Fan, Associate and Ticket Experience
Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Delgado
Director, Social and Influencer
Atlanta Falcons
Jackie Kinney
Social Media Manager
Atlanta Falcons
Ryan Mucatel
Chief Marketing Officer
Atlanta Falcons
AJ Sjostrom
Videographer
AJ11 Productions
Davis Paul
Creative Producer
Lovely Day
Kia Steiger-Dahl
Creative Producer
Lovely Day
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