Photo Credit: HBO

Sydney Sweeney’s latest marketing gamble has put the sports prediction company, Novig, in the spotlight. The actress became the centerpiece of Novig’s provocative campaign, and while the ad itself triggered criticism, the attention delivered something a young brand can rarely buy.

Novig’s social media mentions grew 9x with Sydney Sweeney’s ad campaign

The betting platform, Novig confirmed that Sydney Sweeney went beyond serving as the face of the campaign by taking an ownership stake in the business. The campaign shows the actress wearing little besides carefully placed sports gear, sparking immediate criticism (via Business Insider). Four-time Olympic gold medalist Ariarne Titmus said on Instagram that she was “infuriated.” Saturday Night Live alum Chloe Fineman also took aim at the campaign online.

Still, the backlash delivered a clear marketing boost. Peak Metrics reported that mentions of Novig across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Threads and Bluesky surged more than ninefold after the campaign debuted. Almost half of the posts were neutral, while positive reactions made up 32.8%, nearly twice the 17.5% share of negative posts.

JOAN London strategist Nicky Vita was unimpressed by the campaign’s concept, calling the execution “a bit lazy” and saying it leaned on the old “s— girl talking to men” playbook. Marketing consultant Steve Schonberg pointed out that Novig mainly targets younger men and that “sex sells.”

For Novig, the attention comes at a crucial time as it tries to carve out space alongside larger prediction-market rivals. Founded in 2021, the company raised $75 million in Series B funding this year at a $500 million valuation. But the campaign’s star power appears to have overshadowed the product itself.

Peak Metrics found that only 4% of social posts focused on the app rather than Sweeney. CEO Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports that the campaign accounted for “the bulk of our marketing dollars” ahead of football season.

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