As brands increase spending around a major summer for soccer, New York Life is betting on athlete backstories to engage more than just existing fans.

• Converged TV ad spending for the men’s World Cup will reach $830 million this year, which is more than double what advertisers spent in 2022, EMARKETER forecasts.

The insurance company launched “The Assist,” a short-form documentary series featuring US men’s National Soccer Team players Tyler Adams, Tim Ream, and Matt Turner alongside the coaches, family members, and teammates who helped get them to the big leagues.

“We wanted to know the stories behind the stars,” said Lisa Thomsen, head of acquisition, client, and sponsorship at New York Life. “Who are the people that helped them get where they are today?”

Showcasing support systems

The campaign’s focus on long-term relationships ties it back to the life insurance product, but the messaging is subtle, relying on broad themes over clear calls to action.

• Clear brand storytelling is one of the top attributes of “great creative” (69.5%), according to US B2C and agency marketers in a June 2025 TripleLift and EMARKETER survey.

“At a time when consumers increasingly expect brands to contribute meaningfully to culture, campaigns that lead with emotional relevance and human stories are more likely to drive attention, engagement and long-term brand affinity,” said Thomsen.

While the campaign release aligns with the summer soccer buzz, the brand wants it to stay in the conversation beyond the World Cup. The campaign’s target audience wasn’t just existing soccer fans, as athlete-driven storytelling builds interest for sports and creates new engagement, said Thomsen.

• US sports fans look for personal life updates (31%), almost as much as game highlights (34%), from athletes' social media posts, according to an April 2025 YouGov survey.

“We really chose to do that short-form docuseries video style to be able to meet everyone where they’re at right now,” said Thomsen. “[The World Cup] is going to be one of the biggest cultural events of the summer, so even non-soccer fans will still be interested in some of these human stories.”

Building cross-channel, long-term creative

One of the goals behind “The Assist” was building a campaign flexible enough to work across multiple channels and formats. The series will roll out across paid, earned, owned, and social channels, with longer versions also living on the brand’s website.

“Marketers can learn the value of creating campaigns that are platform-flexible, where a single core narrative can translate into documentaries, athlete interviews, social content, earned media and partnership activations while still feeling cohesive and purpose-driven,” said Thomsen.

This was originally featured in the EMARKETER Daily newsletter. For more marketing insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.