Novig Ad Campaign with Sydney Sweeney
Novig has an ad campaign titled “Just Sports” with Sydney Sweeney that is generating some controversy and buzz. Novig is a sports prediction marketplace, aka sports gambling. They are far behind other companies in this niche, so seemed like throwing a hail mary with a provocative ad campaign makes good business sense. And the gamble seems to have paid off, at least in terms of getting people to talk about the ad and thus the company, Novig.
Sydney Sweeney is no stranger to controversy especially after her American Eagle ad campaign “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans”.
The controversy so far has revolved around the ad campaign objectifying women athletes. Unlike the American Eagle campaign which was criticized for being a wink-and-nod to the right-wing takes on genetics (genes vs. jeans) this one has been especially criticized by women. Several female athletes have spoken out against the ad.
While the controversy has centered around objectifying women in sports and nudity, the real controversy, as The Wall Street Journal points out, is in the problematic normalization of gambling, not nudity.
About Novig and Sydney Sweeney’s Role
Novig launched in 2021 as a prediction market but hasn’t taken off like rivals Polymarket and Kalshi. It is founded by two Harvard University graduates, Jacob Fortinsky (CEO) and Kelechi Ukah (CTO)
Sydney Sweeney is an equity holder and “strategic partner” at Novig. How much of the company she owns hasn’t been made public and numbers like this are hard to come by.
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