J.J. Watt, Kevin Durant Surprise People In New American Family Insurance Campaign

Texans DE J.J. Watt and Thunder F Kevin Durant recently "joined forces to pay it forward to some unsuspecting people in the community" in a new ad campaign for American Family Insurance, according to Jimmy Traina of FOXSPORTS.com. Watt and Durant "surprise people at various places and cheer them on." Durant yesterday "tweeted a teaser clip" (FOXSPORTS.com, 9/21). AD AGE's Ashley Rodriguez noted Watt and Durant in the spot "surprise everyday people, including a woman who is greeted with a sign that says 'Mom. Nurse. Student. Hero.'" Watt also "runs with a man in training for a marathon, holding a sign that reads, 'Your dream is just 26.2 miles away.'" The effort, via BBDO, N.Y., is called "Signs of Support," and "builds on American Family Insurance's 'Insure Carefully. Dream Fearlessly' campaign, which broke with a regional ad buy during the Super Bowl last year." Fifteen and 30-second cuts of the ad "will air on TV across local markets, with a focus on sports programming, while a longer-form version will run online." As part of the effort, which also "includes print, digital, and social components, American Family Insurance will post messages" from Durant and Watt "on outdoor displays in response to tweets from fans" (ADAGE.com, 9/21). The new campaign marks the first time that American Family Insurance has featured Durant and Watt in its advertising (AFI).