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November 8, 20211 min read

Tonal’s slam dunk campaign with LeBron James

Tonal’s ad featuring the NBA megastar during the 2021 World Series on FOX generated an additional 111,000 online searches for the home exercise brand.

Welcome to the first edition of “Know What Works,” a new feature on our blog in which we highlight ads that were highly successful in generating Search Engagement, EDO’s proprietary measure of the increase in search activity for a brand or product in the minutes immediately following a TV ad airing.

The LeBron James Tonal ad that aired during the 2021 World Series on FOX generated an additional 111,000 online searches for Tonal. 

Not only this, a consumer who saw this ad during the World Series was 241% more likely to search for Tonal in the minutes immediately following the airing, in comparison to the average primetime Tonal TV ad airing. 

Why did the Tonal airing work?

This success is not surprising given that EDO research has found the presence of LeBron James in ad ad increases brand search by about 260% (in comparison to brand ads without James). This is well over the average lift in brand search: an approximate 15% increase if an ad features a sports celebrity versus the absence of a sports celebrity. (Read more here

Key takeaway: people love LeBron James. 

There were other unexpected “winners” during the World Series, including TikTok. The TikTok You Have To See It ad generated an additional 58,000 online searches for the brand. Additionally, a consumer who saw this ad during the World Series was 38% more likely to search for TikTok in the minutes immediately following the airing, in comparison to the average primetime TikTok airing across national linear TV. 

Perhaps what is most surprising is the success of the Tonal and TikTok ads given the traditionally older-skewing audience for baseball. 

EDO historical data shows the World Series to be an engaging program for advertisers to reach their audience, regardless of audience type. But this past week, we saw these modern advertisers successfully advertise during the National Pastime’s grandest stage and gain the attention of both older and younger audiences. 

To learn more about EDO’s data and insights, contact us today.

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