Sydney Sweeney’s nearly nude advertising campaign for a sports prediction app has faced backlash — but the publicity stunt could prove beneficial for Novig, a startup aiming to challenge industry giants Kalshi and Polymarket.
The advertisement features the “Euphoria” and “The White Lotus” actress in minimal clothing with strategically placed sports equipment. Sweeney also acquired an equity stake in Novig, according to the company.
The campaign was ridiculed online by former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Chloe Fineman and sparked widespread criticism, including from female Olympic athletes who accused it of sexualizing women’s sports.
“I can’t describe how furious I feel when I watch this,” wrote Ariarne Titmus, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, on her Instagram story, according to multiple sources.
Nicky Vita, head of strategy at advertising agency JOAN London, described the campaign as “a bit lazy.”
“You’ve used the oldest trick in the book, which is just: ‘Sexy girl talking to men while looking super sexy,'” Vita said.
However, for the relatively unknown Novig, capitalizing on a time-tested marketing tactic may have paid off.
“Consider the target audience: it’s primarily young men, and sex sells,” said Steve Schonberg, a New York-based marketing consultant.
Novig’s social media mentions increased more than ninefold after Sweeney’s campaign was released, according to data firm Peak Metrics. Nearly half of the posts about it were neutral, and there were almost twice as many positive posts (32.8%) as negative ones (17.5%). Peak Metrics analyzed data from X, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Threads, and Bluesky.
“From an awareness perspective, the fact that people are still discussing it days after launch is positive,” Vita said. “A few days ago, who even knew about Novig?”
Sweeney has built a reputation for provocative work, both in scripted projects and advertising. She caused a stir with her “great jeans” ad for American Eagle last summer. Despite online backlash, American Eagle’s CEO reported that the clothing brand experienced “business growth” following the Sweeney campaign. Months later, American Eagle launched a follow-up campaign that referenced the original.
Can Novig leverage this short-term publicity boost?
Novig was founded in 2021, and this year it completed a $75 million Series B funding round that valued the company at $500 million, according to the company.
Many more people are now aware of Novig after its logo appeared next to a mostly nude Sweeney, though there’s a significant difference between generating social media buzz and attracting new customers.
“It will be interesting to see if Novig can convert this major advertising moment into sustained interest,” said Jessica Pratt, Peak Metrics’ VP of marketing.
Most social media discussions about Novig’s campaign centered on Sweeney, as Peak Metrics found that only 4% of posts focused on the sports prediction app itself.
Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports in an interview that the Sweeney campaign was a significant investment that accounted for “the majority of our marketing budget heading into football season.” Fortinsky did not disclose how much the company paid Sweeney or spent on the advertisement.
One potential risk: Novig’s marketing stunt could damage its brand credibility and trust, particularly among women.
“There’s a distinction between awareness and credibility,” Schonberg said.
However, Sweeney’s new ad hasn’t generated as much controversy as her American Eagle jeans ad, which became a flashpoint in cultural debates. Critics labeled the ad a racist dog whistle. The brand denied this, and the extensive publicity coincided with an increase in the company’s stock price and earnings.
When controversial ads spark debate, CMOs should “focus on hard facts rather than just listening to social media and mainstream media,” American Eagle CMO Craig Brommers previously told Business Insider.
“I believe ‘Sydney Sweeney has great jeans’ will be on my marketing gravestone — it’s a once-in-a-lifetime campaign,” Brommers said.