Rams Draft Experience presented by SoFi

ABOUT THIS ENTRY

The Rams Draft Experience presented by SoFi transformed Hermosa Beach into a football hub, featuring a live draft stage, player appearances, and a special performance by Gunna. At the heart of the event, the 60-yard “SoFi Field” hosted fan activations, youth clinics, and Play 60 Field Days, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to innovation, community, and engagement.

How does this represent "Excellence in Engagement"?

The Rams Draft Experience presented by SoFi set a new benchmark for fan engagement by transforming Hermosa Beach into an immersive, football spectacle. Unlike traditional draft activations, this event physically embedded itself within a vibrant LA locale, making the Draft more accessible, experiential, and culturally resonant. By constructing SoFi Field, a full-scale, functional turf installation, the Rams not only made a splash, but enhanced fan participation and also ensured a lasting community impact by donating the field to Nickerson Gardens Playground.

This activation exemplified “Excellence in Engagement” by merging entertainment, sport, and community in the Rams authentic style. It reinforced SoFi’s brand beyond stadium naming rights, placing it at the center of an unforgettable fan-first experience. The event’s 9M cross-channel impressions and star-studded programming demonstrated how bold, unconventional thinking can captivate audiences and drive deep, emotional connections. By proving that the NFL Draft can thrive outside traditional venues, this initiative challenged the industry to rethink fan engagement, making it more immersive, inclusive, and locally embedded—setting a precedent for future large-scale, experience-driven activations.

Objective

Every offseason we must ask, how do we recapture the attention of sports & NFL fans from across the country?

How about we build a football field on the iconic Hermosa Beach to bring players, fans, our wider community for a massive fan facing Draft Experience? Thus, the “Rams Draft Experience presented by SoFi” was born. This two-day event was open to the public and featured a stage built on Hermosa Beach for fans to enjoy live draft day coverage, onstage programming including appearances by current and former Rams players, and a special performance by musical act, Gunna.

Meanwhile, “SoFi Field” was a 60-yard turf football field on Hermosa Beach worked to enhance the Draft Experience where fans had a chance to participate in “skills and drills” stations and the Rams also hosted Play 60 Field Days and youth football clinics on the field for local community groups and schools in the days that followed the Draft. The multi-touch point approach delivered exactly upon the ask of aligning the brand to innovation, creativity, and community all within a market that can deliver results.

Strategy & Execution

To make a splash and celebrate our first 1st round pick in YEARS, the Rams Draft Experience and Draft Field presented by SoFi were created. SoFi Field on Hermosa Beach wasn’t just a symbol of innovation; it was a functional, community-centered installation. Therefore, we created a high-quality, sustainable turf using, providing a safe space for local youth and Rams fans to participate in clinics, drills, and Play 60 Field Days but with the future in mind, the field was donated to Nickerson Gardens Playground in Watts, by the LA Rams Foundation furthering our commitment to making a lasting impact in our community.

For SoFi, the Draft Experience and SoFi Field provided a unique opportunity to expand their presence beyond SoFi Stadium and into the broader LA community. By moving the Draft activation to the beach, SoFi took a bold risk, mirroring the Rams' approach to constructing our organization on and off the field. This move allowed SoFi to develop its broader awareness strategy beyond its marquee stadium association, building upon experience driven moments that place them front and center amongst engaged and primed fans with the goal of driving deeper connections with Angelenos.

Organizations

• Los Angeles Rams
• SoFi

Links

•   Website

Featured

• Gunna

Credits

Kathryn Kai-ling Frederick
Chief Marketing Officer
Los Angeles Rams

Lexi VonderLieth
Vice President, Brand Strategy
Los Angeles Rams

Marissa Daly
Vice President and General Manager, Rams Studios
Los Angeles Rams

Todd Davis
Vice President, Legal
Los Angeles Rams

Cory Be;fort
Senior Director, Creative
Los Angeles Rams

Chris Williams
Senior Director, Video
Los Angeles Rams

Rachel Zisman
Senior Manager, Brand Strategy
Los Angeles Rams

Cate Howard
Senior Manager, Partnership Design
Los Angeles Rams

Brittany Cipolla
Senior Manager, Marketing Operations
Los Angeles Rams

Cameron Kirst
Senior Manager, Marketing Operations
Los Angeles Rams

Melissa Park
Senior Manager, Studio Operations
Los Angeles Rams

Brevin Townsell
Photography Lead
Los Angeles Rams

Sydny Layne Layne
Director, Experiential
Los Angeles Rams

Jennifer Prince
Chief Commercial Officer
Los Angeles Rams

Chris Edwards
Senior Director of Partnerships
Los Angeles Rams

Brittany Ramos
Senior Director of Partnership Management
Los Angeles Rams

Liz Kwasnowski
Director of Partnership Management
Los Angeles Rams

Kim Low
Associate Manager of Partnership Management
Los Angeles Rams

Kevin Demoff
President
Los Angeles Rams

Joanna Hunter Hunter, Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Vice President, Corporate Affairs
Los Angeles Rams

Lauren Stafford Webb
Chief Marketing Officer
SoFi

Kevin Weeks
Vice President - Sports Partnerships, Business Operations, Data Science
Los Angeles Rams

Jessica Wykoff
Director, Sports Marketing
Los Angeles Rams

Wyatt Faughnan
Sports Marketing Associate
SoFi

Alison Koff
Brand Consulting
CAA

Liam Green
Brand Consulting
CAA