{"id":4901,"date":"2026-09-19T04:54:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T04:54:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=4901"},"modified":"2026-09-19T04:54:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T04:54:37","slug":"sydney-sweeney-doesnt-just-star-in-controversial-ads-she-helps-engineer-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vaultinsider.top\/?p=4901","title":{"rendered":"Sydney Sweeney doesn\u2019t just star in controversial ads. She helps engineer them."},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Using controversy as a marketing tactic is a time-honored tactic, but Sydney Sweeney does it better than most. After generating uproar\u2014and a ton of buzz\u2014with last year\u2019s American Eagle \u201cgreat jeans\u201d ad campaign, Sweeney stoked outrage to new heights this week with a provocative video for sports prediction market startup Novig. In the minute-long social media ad, Sweeney talks up the platform while wearing no clothes, and barely covering herself with a football and various other sports gear. <\/p>\n

\n

Unsurprisingly, the campaign has sparked debate over the sexualization of women in sports. At the same time, though, the ad titled \u201cJust Sports\u201d stands out both for its eye-popping performance\u2014tens of millions of views across X and Instagram\u2014and for the unusual business arrangement that underlies it: One where Sweeney obtained a share of the company rather than a simple endorsement check.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Novig CEO Jacob Fortinsky recently revealed that Sweeney approached the company about collaborating because she was attracted to its exclusive focus on sports-event contracts and wanted to become a shareholder rather than simply serve as the face of a one-off campaign, according to Front Office Sports<\/em>. Unlike competitors such as Polymarket and Kalshi, which offer markets on topics ranging from politics and war to culture, Novig focuses solely on sports\u2014an approach that Fortinsky says drew Sweeney to the company and was reflected in the ad\u2019s script. <\/p>\n

Novig declined to comment when Fortune<\/em> asked about the terms of Sweeney\u2019s equity partnership, including the size of her stake in the company.<\/p>\n

The Sweeney deal comes at a time when prediction markets are scrambling for celebrity endorsements to drive engagement and user growth. Just 24 hours before Novig\u2019s campaign with Sweeney was released, Polymarket posted a similarly timed advertisement on social media featuring A-list athletes including LeBron James, Derek Jeter and Eli Manning, as well as celebrities such as Spike Lee, Emily Ratajkowski and Alexandra Daddario.<\/p>\n

Polymarket has not publicly disclosed how much it spent on the campaign. But one report states the prediction market company\u2014which is valued at more than $20 billion and has nearly 2 million followers on X\u2014is paying James $15 million a year under its partnership. Jeter and Manning reportedly have smaller endorsement deals, while other celebrities were paid for a one-time appearance. Despite what was likely a far larger investment, Polymarket\u2019s campaign generated less engagement than Novig\u2019s. On Instagram, Polymarket\u2019s post received fewer than 55,000 likes, while Sweeney\u2019s Novig post drew more than 1.2 million.<\/p>\n

The contrast is especially striking given that Novig is valued at roughly $500 million. Under the terms of her equity partnership, Sweeney could stand to benefit significantly from Novig\u2019s future success as the earlier-stage company seeks to compete with larger rivals.<\/p>\n

Sweeney\u2019s involvement in the campaign extended beyond her financial stake. Under the terms of the agreement, she also served as a creative partner. According to a source familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified in order to discuss private business arrangements, Sweeney acted as a hands-on \u201cmastermind\u201d who shaped every stage of the creative, commercial and visual process. She oversaw the choice of music, guided specific camera angles and shot coverage, and revised the script.<\/p>\n

A \u201ccompetitive weapon\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

For early-stage platforms entering categories dominated by heavily funded incumbents, a viral endorsement can serve as a vital equalizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re Novig, you probably can\u2019t outspend Polymarket. So you have to out-attention them,\u201d Shruti Saini, a brand strategist and adjunct professor at the University of Southern California\u2019s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, told Fortune<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Enter Sydney Sweeney.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s not even a simple endorsement\u2014she\u2019s a competitive weapon. Within hours, one person put this relatively unknown company into the same cultural conversation as Polymarket,\u201d Saini added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Novig is not the first campaign in which Sweeney has taken a hands-on role in shaping a viral moment. In October 2024, the actress appeared submerged in a bubble bath in an advertisement for Dr. Squatch, a men\u2019s personal-care brand. The ad quickly went viral.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To capitalize on the attention, Sweeney later said in an interview that she had personally pitched the idea of selling a limited-edition soap made with her actual bathwater. The release was limited to 5,000 bars priced at $8 each and sold out within seconds. While the product\u2019s sales potential was capped, the campaign generated nearly 90,000 Instagram likes and more than 45,000 reshares.<\/p>\n

While virality can generate significant attention, its impact tends to be short-lived, Saini noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sweeney\u2019s July 2025 campaign for American Eagle illustrated the limits of a one-time partnership based on controversy. When Sweeney was unveiled as the face of the retailer\u2019s campaign, its slogan\u2014\u201cSydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans\u201d\u2014drew criticism from some who viewed \u201cjeans\u201d as a play on \u201cgenes\u201d and interpreted it as an endorsement of eugenics and conventional beauty standards.<\/p>\n

The controversy initially benefited American Eagle, which was facing pressure at the time from President Donald Trump\u2019s tariffs on China\u2014where the retailer sourced a significant amount of its production. Two months before the campaign with Sweeney, American Eagle reported that the tariff policies could have a roughly $5 million to $10 million impact on earnings. In the immediate aftermath of its debut, the campaign achieved strong commercial momentum\u2014driving widespread social reach, attracting new customers, selling out denim items and triggering an initial increase in investor enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

But over time, the publicly traded company revealed in financial disclosures that its core brand did not show sustained sales growth after the campaign. About a year after the ad aired, the company\u2019s stock had also returned to roughly where it was before the campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdvertising, marketing, [and] partnerships with celebrities can absolutely create momentum, but [they] can\u2019t really compensate indefinitely for product, merchandising, and unclear brand identity,\u201d Saini said of the American Eagle campaign.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In Novig\u2019s case, she noted that a sports trading platform may risk becoming a \u201csupporting character\u201d in its own advertising, given the overwhelming attention on Sweeney.<\/p>\n

Whether Novig works with Sweeney again\u2014and how it does so\u2014will determine the partnership\u2019s lasting value for everyone involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeing bold is part of brand building. Don\u2019t shy away from [it], but recognize that it shouldn\u2019t be for short-term gimmicks because that can only take you so far.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

#Sydney #Sweeney #doesnt #star #controversial #ads #helps #engineer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Using controversy as a marketi… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[514,3074,7954,331,7955,1028,5471,3123,7166,7165],"class_list":["post-4901","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance-news","tag-ads","tag-advertising","tag-controversial","tag-doesnt","tag-engineer","tag-helps","tag-sports-betting","tag-star","tag-sweeney","tag-sydney"],"yoast_head":"\nSydney Sweeney doesn\u2019t just star in controversial ads. 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