The main objective of the campaign was to boost the organic reach of Jesse Lingard and Vertex CGI on social media by creating a revolutionary collaboration between a creative studio and an athlete. This partnership aimed to engage millions of viewers worldwide by leveraging Jesse’s unique football skills and vibrant personality to deliver a viral social media experience.
The goal was to set new records for reach and engagement while redefining the potential of collaborations between athletes and creative studios. By combining storytelling with cutting-edge technology, the campaign sought to demonstrate how creativity and innovation could amplify both Jesse’s brand and Vertex CGI’s reputation.
This campaign wasn’t just about creating content — it was about capturing global attention and generating buzz through a fresh approach to influencer marketing, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the sports and creative industries.
To bring the concept to life, Vertex CGI developed a serialized campaign of four unique episodes. Each video was designed to showcase Jesse’s football skills and personality while captivating audiences with hyper-realistic CGI.
The videos were released sequentially over several days on Jesse Lingard’s social media platforms — Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube — which collectively boasted a total of over 20 million followers. This ensured a massive built-in audience for the campaign. Each episode featured visual hooks such as emotional reactions, oversized objects, and seamless CGI integration to keep viewers intrigued. Easter eggs and cliffhangers were included to foster excitement and create a sense of continuity across the series.
The creative execution relied on movie-level CGI, including intricate work on ball physics, realistic reflections on surfaces, precise object animations, and refined lighting. This meticulous attention to detail ensured the visuals were as believable as possible. Cleanup and final touches added layers of realism, making viewers question whether the scenes were real or crafted.
The serialized approach allowed audiences to become fully immersed in the campaign, while the high-quality production demonstrated Vertex CGI’s technical expertise and Jesse Lingard’s charisma.
446M+ Views across owned media: The videos became the most viewed content on each of Jesse Lingard’s owned media platforms, setting new records across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube.
1B+ Earned Media Impressions: Thousands of reposts and mentions from users, fan pages, and influencers generated massive earned media impressions, amplifying the campaign’s reach globally.
10M+ Engagements (likes, comments, shares) across owned media: Every video set engagement records, becoming the most interacted-with content in the history of Jesse’s owned media.
#1 Most Reached Campaign across owned media: This campaign achieved the highest organic reach ever recorded across Jesse Lingard’s social platforms.
#1 Most Engaged Campaign across owned media: It set an unparalleled benchmark for audience interaction, making it the most engaging campaign in his career.
1,000+ Media Mentions: Coverage ranged from major outlets like GOAL, Sportsbible, OneFootball, and Sport360 to thousands of user reposts and niche football fan pages, extending its influence far beyond the sports community.
$0 Paid Media Spent: The campaign’s success was achieved entirely through organic reach, with no budget allocated to paid media or promotion.
This campaign not only delivered record-breaking numbers but also redefined how collaborations between athletes and creative studios can maximize organic impact. It highlighted the immense potential of combining creativity, influencer branding, and storytelling to achieve exceptional results without traditional advertising spend.
