An American Coach in London: Ted Lasso Promos

Read the campaign story

NBC Sports introduced the fictional Ted Lasso in 2013 to promote its Premier League coverage in the United States. The Brooklyn Brothers worked with Moxie Pictures director Martin Granger and performer Jason Sudeikis on An American Coach in London and shorter edits. The character’s misunderstandings supplied the humour. This case concerns the original promotional family, not production of the later television series.

The production account and contemporary trade coverage establish the execution and roles. Reported attention does not isolate the advertising’s contribution to viewing, especially when a broadcaster is also introducing a substantial new rights package. The transferable decision is to acknowledge a knowledge gap through fiction, while keeping the practical viewing invitation clear and avoiding the assumption that audiences want to be caricatured.

Editorial interpretation: a beginner character can give viewers permission not to know everything. The humour externalises confusion, allowing a service to explain unfamiliar conventions without opening with a lecture. That works only if the audience understands who the joke is on. A welcoming version laughs at the character’s misplaced confidence rather than suggesting that people from a particular place are inherently incapable of appreciating something new.

Editorial interpretation: an entertaining character can quickly become more memorable than the original offer. This creates both opportunity and a measurement problem. The campaign may attract attention that belongs primarily to the performer or story. A responsible adaptation should therefore check whether viewers understand the service after enjoying the scene, and whether the character helps them ask a useful next question rather than simply becoming a separate attraction.

Choose a misunderstanding that teaches something

Identify one common assumption and show why it does not fit the new context. Keep the correction accurate and proportionate to the format. Avoid building the joke around a marginal detail that leaves the central offer unexplained. A useful scene makes viewers more comfortable asking questions and gives them one concrete insight they can carry into the next step of their experience.

Protect the dignity of the intended newcomer

Test the script with people who are genuinely unfamiliar with the subject. Ask whether it feels inviting or condescending, and pay attention to cultural shorthand that the creative team may take for granted. Do not treat nationality, language or background as an explanation for incompetence. Give the fictional character room to learn, and ensure that knowledgeable characters are helpful rather than merely superior.

Keep the offer visible without breaking the story

Decide where the scene naturally creates a question about how to access the service. Answer that question clearly through an end card or accompanying page. Do not rely on a famous performer to make the brand connection obvious. Test recall of the practical invitation separately from recall of the joke, and avoid using entertainment success as a substitute for understanding the actual offer.

A small test for another brief

Proposed adaptation: storyboard an original adult newcomer visiting a fictional board-game club, with one harmless misunderstanding resolved by a welcoming host.

Measure whether viewers understand the corrected assumption, feel comfortable asking a beginner question and remember the club invitation. Compare the comic scene with a direct introduction. Ask who they believe the joke targets, and revise any element that makes the intended audience feel mocked rather than included.

Stop if humour depends on cultural humiliation, conceals the actual offer or uses another creator’s character without permission.

• Use original characters and dialogue, not the Ted Lasso persona.
• Avoid national stereotypes and any physical performance task.
• Include a plain invitation explaining the fictional club’s format.