USAA x NFL: The Million Fan Salute Campaign
PRODUCT WEBSITE, GAMEDAY & IN-PERSON EVENTS – MADE WITH USAA + THE NFL
TL;DR
Led creative for USAA’s first-ever NFL campaign, The Million Fan Salute, celebrating military appreciation through digital engagement and in-stadium activations. Oversaw campaign concepting, cross-platform design execution, and partnership alignment between USAA and the NFL.
MY ROLE
Responsive Design, Creative Direction, UX Strategy, Concept Development, Web Design, Development Handover, Stakeholder Reviews, Workshop Development Gaps
PEOPLE
1x UX Designer
1x Visual Designer
1x Product Managers
1x Software Developers
TIMELINE
2 Months
USAA gave our creative team a fantastic job: we had to create the Million Fan Salute, the NFL's Official Military Appreciation Sponsor. This annual event was all about showing love to the brave men and women of the US Armed Forces, both online and in NFL stadiums.
Our task was to build an interactive experience that could capture all the excitement of the in-stadium celebration and give football fans a chance to show their support. Our audience was made up of NFL enthusiasts, patriots, and military service members.
So, what did we do? We came up with the Million Fan Salute website experience. It allowed fans to salute on behalf of their favorite team, with a chance to win $20,000 to their local military unit. But we didn't stop there – the campaign donated a cool $1 million to the USO to help America's military service members. We even had an awesome "Salutes Around the World" map that showed the engagement results from New England all the way to Seattle. The Million Fan Salute wasn't just a nod to the military; it let fans and patriots join in the appreciation too.
USAA honored service members and veterans with special on-field recognition during NFL game days. This included a standing ovation from the crowd, a video tribute, a mass signage reveal, and a special award presented by a USAA representative.
THE MILLION FAN SALUTE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE
In addition to making it easy to salute – just a few clicks to show your appreciation, fans had the option to salute directly from the microsite on their desktop, mobile device or tablet. The responsive design ensured the user had every opportunity to engage, but never with a watered-down experience. Facebook integration and social sharing was another way to earn extra votes for your team.
We made it easy to show your appreciation with just a few clicks. Our responsive design ensures users have an optimal experience, no matter the device. Plus, with Facebook integration and social sharing, they can earn extra votes for their team.
Our dynamic “Salutes Around the World” map is floodlit, globally visualizing engagement results. In short, USAA’s Million Fan Salute is giving the U.S. Military a traditional Gatorade shower, and NFL fans all over the world are helping us lift the cooler.
The gallery above captures key moments from the campaign’s in-stadium activations and promotional rollout. From branded experiences to on-field celebrations, these events brought the Million Fan Salute to life across NFL venues nationwide.
In total, the campaign generated over 1.2 million messages of appreciation and a $1 million donation to the USO. By connecting fans, service members, and partners through both digital and real-world engagement, the campaign turned support into something visible, shared, and deeply felt.