At the beginning of 2021, the Bengals were ready to turn the page on a pandemic season marred with injuries to its star players. The team finished 2020 at the bottom of their division, quarterback Joe Burrow was rehabbing a knee injury, and excitement from the fans was at an all-time low. It was clear that in my second year, the team desperately needed a fresh marketing campaign. The timing could not be better as this new campaign would come on the heels of the New Stripes uniform launch and piggyback off the excitement of stadiums returning to full capacity.
Before I arrived at the Bengals, the org had mixed success with their previous campaigns. Any catchy slogan absent of substance would most likely be ignored. The fanbase was exhausted by lackluster seasons going back to 1990 and a perception that team ownership was out of touch with the reality of running an NFL franchise in the modern era. If we were going to change the hearts and minds of Who Dey Nation, this campaign would need to include real action from the front office.
The New Stripes uniform launch happening in 2021 was purely coincidental and would preceed any major campaign for the football season. Therefore, all of the elements used in the New Stripes launch were planned without the intention of them playing into a larger campaign. The centerpiece of that launch was the concrete throne inspired by King Louie’s throne from The Jungle Book. While a throne cannot be a campaign on its own, it embodied what the campaign should be. Power, boldness, and an indomitable spirit.
The next step was to land on a campaign slogan. It’s hard to describe just how difficult it was to land on Rule the Jungle, especially with how obvious it feels now. We ran through hundreds of options, but it was important to our team to have a call to action, eliminate gendered terms, and speak directly to our fanbase. Rule the Jungle accomplished all of these things.
With the slogan locked in, we began executing our content plan in support of our new message, including an editorial series on Bengals.com spearheaded by members of ownership. These letters to the fans would contextualize the campaign through the voice of Elizabeth Blackburn without feeling like propaganda or empty sentiments. Next, we introduced our Ruler of the Jungle ceremony on gameday. This moment would be the culmination of pregame festivities as a rotating celebrity Ruler would lead the stadium in a Who Dey chant.
As I said before, Rule the Jungle could not be just words. To have success, it required real action from the front office and a change in brand voice that celebrated boldness and leadership. Lucky for us, the team also took action and had their first appearance in a Super Bowl since 1989. This led to our content team evolving Rule the Jungle to Rule the Playoffs, Rule the AFC, and eventually Rule It All.
With football, everything is cyclical and fan fatigue can be a real concern. Rule the Jungle was originally expected to have a lifespan of two to three years. Yet, four years later, Rule the Jungle has taken on a life on its own and is now synonymous with Cincinnati football. The equity in Rule the Jungle goes well beyond Cincinnati and has received national attention. We expect Rule the Jungle to remain the campaign for years, even decades, to come.
