In some cases, these athlete pairings are actually encouraging brands to come back to Team Whistle. During last year’s World Cup in Qatar, J.M. Smucker Company wanted to feature its pet treat brand Pup-Peroni in Team Whistle’s series Meet the Pets. Launched during the pandemic, the short- and mid-length clips follow athletes and their pets during a normal day. For the World Cup, Team Whistle brought in U.S. Men’s National Team defender Walker Zimmerman and his Bernedoodle (Bernese mountain dog/poodle) Bear to capitalize on the event without springing for broadcast airtime.

Real brands, real people

Meanwhile, Zimmerman didn’t look like an athlete in a dog treat ad: just a soccer player handing his dog some treats.

“Based on positive brand favorability in year one, Pup-Peroni and TW knew the TW audience loved seeing the natural friendship between talent and their pet,” said Heather Smith, senior manager of content and culture at J.M. Smucker. “Pup-Peroni was seamlessly and authentically integrated throughout the partnership.”

That brought Smucker back for a second year, sponsoring more Meet the Pets episodes during the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl. Minnesota Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson, his boxer Lilo and his finaceé Mikala Brown’s Australian sheep dog Indie share screen time and snacks in one installment, while Cleveland Browns running back Myles Garrett and his bilingual, Dragonball-inspired German Shepherd Gohan go through tricks in both Czech and English.

“We want to create content to see people as real people, celebrities as real people, and that everyone has multiple interests and passions—whether it’s food, enjoying your favorite activity, having a pet or having a relationship,” Team Whistle’s Fleischman said. “It’s about showing all sides of people.”