Leave it to the NFL to start the season with a psychedelic AI joyride featuring talking babies and airborne livestock. “You Better Believe,” the league’s latest ad with agency 72andSunny, is a surreal, AI-generated music video love letter to all 32 teams. Anchored by an elaborate virtual parade float, the spot ropes in team deep cuts—from a Bengals ice sculpture to a kneecap-munching Detroit Lion—all set to a reimagined version of “C’Mon ‘N Ride The Train.” The lyrics themselves even informed some AI prompts, because of course they did.
While traditional CGI would’ve buried production in budget hell, AI helped the NFL bring this circus to life at a fraction of the cost—five times cheaper, according to CMO Tim Ellis. AI also unlocked ideas that would’ve never passed the feasibility test in the past. This mashup of live action, CGI, and machine wizardry allowed the team to prioritize imagination instead of logistics, though some visual effects (like Detroit’s furball lion) still needed the precision of CGI.
It’s also the latest move in the NFL’s broader AI playbook. The league’s been quietly integrating AI into marketing and ops—using Adobe for custom campaigns, AWS for content search, and Microsoft Copilot for data-driven work. Even teams like the Buccaneers are getting into the generative AI game. But the season kickoff ad serves a bigger emotional purpose: escapism. As Ellis put it, the NFL wanted to spark joy just as much as it wanted to spark engagement.
Full story at AdWeek.