- Nissan has revamped its 15-year Heisman House campaign into a six-part digital comedy series titled "Tell Them a Heisman Sent You".
- Heisman Trophy winners Tim Tebow, Travis Hunter, and Derrick Henry compete in a fictional challenge to claim the title of Nissan’s top spokesperson.
- Each athlete represents a specific vehicle line: Tebow leads the Rogue, Hunter champions the Frontier, and Henry powers the Pathfinder.
- The campaign pairs full-length digital episodes on YouTube with national TV commercials airing throughout the college football season.
Nissan has officially transformed its long-running college football marketing platform. Partnering with creative agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, the automaker launched “Tell Them a Heisman Sent You,” a six-part digital comedy series that turns Heisman Trophy winners into rival car salesmen competing for the title of Best Nissan Spokesperson.
The campaign features 2007 Heisman winner Tim Tebow, 2015 winner Derrick Henry, and 2024 Heisman recipient Travis Hunter. In the storyline, each star represents a distinct model: Tebow pitches the Nissan Rogue, Henry drives the Pathfinder, and Hunter takes the wheel of the Frontier.
The new series highlights both seasoned veterans and fresh faces. Tebow, a longtime fixture in Nissan’s Heisman ads who also maintains partnerships with brands such as Adidas and Allstate, delivers his trademark enthusiasm.
Henry, the powerhouse Baltimore Ravens running back who partnered with Amazfit and Amazon, returns as an established Heisman House favorite.
Following his historic two-way college career and NFL transition, Hunter continues to build major off-field momentum. That rising star power was recently on display when Anthony Edwards teamed up with him for an Adidas AE1 commercial.
Automakers increasingly use sports storytelling to connect with diverse audiences. High-profile vehicle endorsements have expanded across disciplines, from when LeBron James teamed up with Mercedes-Benz for a custom Maybach project to when Coco Gauff partnered with Mercedes-Benz on a new U.S. Open campaign.
Over the past 15 years, Nissan has built its football legacy by collaborating with football icons like Reggie Bush, Baker Mayfield, DeVonta Smith, and Barry Sanders.
The six-part series is streaming biweekly on YouTube, accompanied by national 30-second broadcast spots across major networks all season long.
Takeaways
Nissan’s shift from standard football sketches to a serialized digital comedy illustrates how automotive brands are adapting to modern viewing habits.
Rather than relying solely on quick broadcast ads during game breaks, the automaker is building an episodic narrative that viewers can follow across social platforms and streaming channels.
By bringing together a beloved college football icon like Tebow, a current NFL superstar in Henry, and a rising young sensation in Hunter, Nissan bridges different eras of football fandom.
This approach turns traditional vehicle promotions into character-driven entertainment, giving each model a distinct personality that resonates with fans throughout the entire season.
How will shifting from traditional 30-second commercials to episodic digital comedy series impact how car brands measure campaign success? Does uniting multi-generational Heisman winners allow Nissan to capture older football fans and younger social media audiences simultaneously?
