San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle has parted with his trademark locks as part of a promotional campaign for pay television provider DirecTV.
The promotion involves Kittle embracing the “footbald” lifestyle by sporting a bare head — a metaphor to draw consumer awareness to the notion that DirecTV offers its traditional pay TV service without a satellite.
The campaign, called “Nothing On Your Roof,” emphasizes that DirecTV offers the same broadcast and cable channels through its streaming service, DirecTV via Internet, which complements the packages available on its flagship satellite product but without the cumbersome equipment.
“The campaign shocks fans by giving their beloved player a new show-stopping look that kicks off a hilarious visual association with the phrase, no satellite needed,” a DirecTV spokesperson told The Desk via e-mail.
Kittle is the latest professional athlete to be recruited by DirecTV for its streaming-based TV product. Over the past few months, the company has launched similar promotional campaigns with professional athletes like Deion Sanders, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Randy Johnson.
As part of the “Nothing On Your Roof” promotion, DirecTV is giving fans the opportunity to win a custom “footbald” helmet signed by Kittle himself. The sweepstakes is open through October 1, and football fans can enter by clicking or tapping here.
In addition to the sweepstakes, DirecTV says it has launched a custom Snap filter that allows fans to “get an AR empty-roof haircut and share it with their friends.” That feature is available through the Snapchat app for most popular smartphones and tablets.
The San Francisco 49ers begin their regular season with a home game match-up between the New York Jets on Monday, September 9 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The game airs on ESPN and ABC, which is available through most DirecTV packages.
