The Canadian Football League has remoulded its “Keep it Unreal” platform for the coming season.
The league’s senior VP of marketing and communications, Craig Garvie, said this year’s campaign expands on the 2024 creative, which he called a rallying cry to galvanize CFL diehards and attract new fans. The work touched on the CFL’s quick pace, fierce competition and skill.
Newly founded Toronto-based brand-performance agency Memory worked on creative for the 2025 season, which begins this week.
“This year, we’re building upon that success and taking advantage of the flexibility of the campaign,” Garvie said.
Last year’s campaign debut by Juliet served as the backdrop for a season in which league-wide revenue increased by 7.3%, according to the CFL. The league also reported a 30% spike in game-day revenue in 2024 and marked increases in attendance in B.C., Toronto and Montreal for a third year running.
“In Year 2, we’re taking this great brand platform to the next level,” said Ian Mackenzie, CCO at Memory. “We’ve turned the tagline of ‘Keep it Unreal’ into a multi-purpose headline that enables the CFL and its teams to articulate what they stand for. An evolved modular design system ties it all together, opening the way for the creation of more than 30 high-impact films that will be unveiled throughout the season.”
Mackenzie said the campaign will be supported by a number of custom assets that build on the “epic promise at the heart of ‘Keep it Unreal.'”
The CFL’s nine member clubs will weave the branding in with their own through a league-led tagline and a unique visual identity.
The campaign will be showcased by the league across digital and social channels and be prominently featured by CFL broadcasters TSN and RDS in TV spots during key moments, including the 2025 season kickoff and the Grey Cup playoffs.
The coming season begins June 5 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders play host to the Ottawa RedBlacks.
Genius Sports, the league’s longtime official data, technology and commercial partner, is behind the digital buy.
