Big Red Results

A Husker sponsorship puts a brand in front of thousands of fans, but visibility alone does not create a connection during an event where hundreds of other things are competing for your attention. John Henry’s had been the Official Heating, Air, Plumbing, and Electrical Provider of the Huskers for several years. The partnership involved name recognition, radio spots, and in-game branding, but the opportunity was bigger than passive exposure.

John Henry’s needed a way to turn its sponsorship into something Husker families would notice, enter, share, and remember. That moment became Kickoff Kid.

The Missed Opportunity

Husker sponsorships offer major visibility, but they also raise a real business question: How do you make that investment work harder? The John Henry’s brand was already aligned with Nebraska’s most recognizable sports program. What the brand needed was a more meaningful way to connect with fans.

Our goal was to create an in-game activation that could live inside the energy of game day while also driving people to take action before the season even started. We set an initial goal of reaching at least 100,000 views through Meta campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. Since Memorial Stadium seats 85,458 fans, that benchmark would extend the promotion beyond the stadium itself. We wanted to create a unique experience for our community and give kids the opportunity to step on the field. Although the primary goal was community good, we also wanted to convert that attention into at least 1,000 actionable leads for John Henry’s.

The Idea

The strongest sponsorship activations give fans a reason to participate. We built an experience around one of the most emotional parts of Husker football: giving a young fan a chance to meet their heroes. Kickoff Kid invited parents to enter their children for the chance to be on the field during a Husker football game. Winners received football tickets, a co-branded Husker football, a hat, and a t-shirt. Before kickoff, each child also had the chance to meet Husker football players, Coach Matt Rhule, the cheerleaders, and more.

For families, it was a memory. For John Henry’s, it was a branded experience with real emotional value.

The Campaign

A great in-game promotion still needs an audience before game day. We built a partnership between John Henry’s and the Huskers to launch and promote Kickoff Kid through a season-long campaign that reached families across multiple channels.

The campaign included:

• Paid Meta ads on Facebook and Instagram
• Organic social posts from John Henry’s
• Social promotion through the Huskers
• A dedicated landing page on Huskers.com
• In-stadium restroom signage
• An e-newsletter
• A direct mailer to John Henry’s customers
• Weekly social media features highlighting each Kickoff Kid winner

The game day content helped the campaign stay active throughout the season. Each post gave fans another reason to picture their own child on the field, then click to enter. The promotion itself carried John Henry’s name in a way that felt natural to the Husker experience, and the brand became part of the moment, instead of sitting beside it.

The Results Behind the Moment

Kickoff Kid generated 1,472 leads for John Henry’s. Most importantly, 978 of those leads opted in to be contacted, giving John Henry’s a strong list of people who showed clear interest in engaging with the brand.

The campaign also generated significant visibility throughout the season. Organic posts on John Henry’s social media generated 145,331 views and 1,041 interactions. The initial Kickoff Kid announcement alone generated more than 7,300 link clicks, 32 shares, and 600 likes. Paid Meta ads produced more than 10,000 link clicks and over 180,000 impressions. The campaign earned a 7.31% click-through rate, well above the 2.93% average for sports-related Meta ads, with a cost per result of just $0.15.

For John Henry’s, Kickoff Kid did exactly what the best sponsorship activations should do. It created visibility, gave fans a reason to engage, and turned a—now—game day tradition into measurable business results.

Creating a Brand Experience

Sponsorships work best when people can participate. A logo can build familiarity, but an experience gives people a reason to care. Kickoff Kid worked because it gave Husker families something they already wanted: a closer connection to the team they love.

We believe emotional ideas can still drive measurable results. The campaign had a strong human hook, but it was built with brand recognition in the community as a priority. Every channel pointed back to action, and every winner’s story gave the campaign fresh energy.

Let’s Build Your Next Big Idea

At Eleanor Creative, we help brands turn real opportunities into strategic campaigns with measurable impact. If you want a sponsorship, campaign, or brand moment to work better, let’s talk.