Campbell's Chunky Gamifies NFL Program with Fortnite

The Campbell's Chunky brand from the Campbell Soup Co. is activating its sponsorship of the National Football League by launching an immersive metaverse experience using online video game Fortnite. Fortnite Creative is a sandbox game, developed and published by Epic Games, that allows users to freely create content on their own Creative Islands.

Dubbed the “Chunky FuelUp Tournament,” the campaign launched just in time for the NFL playoffs, which begin Jan. 14. The tournament aims to merge the Fortnite brand with football-themed, native Fortnite gameplay, according to a news release from Campbell Soup Co.

The tournament comprises three challenges that test players' speed, agility and accuracy, including:

• The Spicy Soup Sprint: Players fly through branded cans and slide down a giant spoon, racing to complete the course as fast as possible.
• The Protein Power Course: Players experience an agility based training course where they tackle dummies and other football-themed obstacles as they make their way to the end zone.
• The Hearty Hail Mary: Participants test their quarterback skills as they attempt to throw as many cans into moving targets as fast as possible within three increasingly difficult one-minute rounds.

The FuelUp Tournament can be launched through the 12-digit island code in Fortnite Creative: 4261-7980-7840. Once accessed, players can enter the Chunky FuelUp Plaza within the online game and explore different areas of the “Chunky Bowl” Stadium, including a tailgate area and VIP section.

Eligible players (18 or older) can access the game and compete for prizes, including signed NFL merchandise, tickets to 2023 NFL games, a shoutout from American Twitch streamer and YouTuber Nicholas Kolcheff (better known as Nickmercs) on Instagram, as well as the title of the Chunky MVP.

The tournament's qualifying rounds run from Jan. 12 through Feb. 3. Participants can share their high scores on the dedicated microsite ChunkyGaming.com during the qualifiers to be eligible for prizes and the finale. The top scoring players that have made it to the finale will compete in a live event on Feb. 8 that will be streamed by Nickmercs' channel (Twitch.com/Nickmercs).

The tournament will be available to play within Fortnite Creative mode across PC, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and Android. The Chunky Fortnite Creative build was developed in partnership with Spark Foundry, Campbell's media agency of record, Beyond Creative, a Fortnite Creative developer studio, and features Fortnite Creative.

"Launching a Chunky metaverse experience is another step forward for the brand to intersect sports and culture," Marci Raible, vice president of integrated marketing, Campbell's Meals & Beverages, said in the release. "As we leverage our 25-year NFL partnership, this activation allows Chunky to connect with the gaming audience and offer an innovative brand interaction."