The NFL isn’t just the most-watched sports league in the United States — it’s a global brand with millions of energised fans looking for ways to connect with their favourite teams and players. Meeting that demand at scale is no small task. Fans expect personalised experiences, real-time content and seamless interactions that mirror the best of what consumer brands deliver.

At Adobe, we’re passionate about helping brands solve these exact challenges by unlocking the power of creativity, marketing and AI in a single platform to deliver exceptional experiences at unprecedented scale. And our partnership with the NFL showcases how this innovation can transform customer and fan engagement globally.

I recently caught up with Josh Rabenovets, Vice President of Fan Engagement and Product Marketing for the NFL, who has been at the centre of driving the league’s fan-centric growth and data-driven strategies to enhance engagement and loyalty. We discussed how the NFL is investing in Adobe AI and technology to deepen connections with its fans, empower clubs with localised strategies and drive expansion around the world.

From AI-powered 1:1 personalisation to groundbreaking campaigns, the NFL is setting a new standard for how sports organisations connect with their fans in more meaningful and impactful ways.

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With over 200 million fans in just the U.S., the NFL has one of the most passionate and diverse fan bases in sports. How do you define fan engagement?

For the NFL, great fan engagement means delivering experiences that feel personal and relevant to every fan — whether they’re a lifelong season ticket holder or discovering the game for the first time.

The challenge and opportunity is to meet people where they are, in ways that resonate. And that starts with a deep understanding of fan preferences and behaviours and connecting with them in the right way at the right time. That might be a push notification with behind-the-scenes 49ers content for a fan in San Francisco or personalised messaging about international games for a fan in London. Success isn’t just about reach but about building real connections. When fans feel understood, their passion for the game grows.

With so many ways to interact with the NFL, what was the biggest challenge in making fan experiences feel seamless?

One of the biggest hurdles was breaking down data silos across the NFL ecosystem and ensuring every touchpoint connects into one seamless journey. Fans don’t see silos; they see one NFL. Whether buying a ticket, streaming a game or following a team on social, we had to connect these entry points and unify what we know about each fan.

By connecting our data and marketing tools in a single ecosystem, we can now power true fan-centric journey orchestration: real-time personalisation and decision-making across channels.

That real-time personalisation sits at the heart of the fan experience today. Can you tell us about the digital foundation you’ve set to deliver and enhance that experience?

The NFL has built a robust digital foundation with Adobe that serves as the backbone of our fan engagement strategy. Data-driven optimisation, audience activation and journey orchestration are at the heart of this and power our ability to meet fans wherever they are.

With Adobe Experience Platform and Adobe Real-Time CDP, we have a single, unified view of each fan — their behaviours, preferences and engagement with the brand. We’re able to act on those insights in real-time with Adobe Journey Optimizer to orchestrate and deliver personalised journeys across email, push, in-app and web channels. A fan who uses the app might later get an NFL+ offer, while a ticket buyer could receive tailored content before kickoff.

We use Customer Journey Analytics to understand how fans interact with campaigns and content across channels so we can continuously learn and refine across every fan’s journey to drive stronger engagement. And we’ve connected the creative and operational workflows with Adobe Workfront to scale this personalisation across the League and clubs.

Adobe is helping us to deliver moments that matter to our fans — whether at home, on the move or in the stadium - so the experience feels seamless.

NFL’s global expansion now encompasses all 32 clubs across 21 international markets. How do you deliver a consistent brand voice while tailoring experiences for a growing and diverse fan base?

It’s a shared model: the League provides the unified data and technology backbone while clubs can localise and personalise their outreach. Every club benefits from the League’s scale while maintaining the intimacy of local connection that builds loyal fan relationships.

Our team works closely with clubs to adapt content, campaigns and events so they feel relevant across markets but are still unmistakably NFL. That means understanding local expectations — from language and content formats to the types of live events and digital channels fans prefer — and shaping campaigns accordingly. Adobe Experience Platform and Journey Optimizer help us strike that balance, with a unified view of fans.

Fans in Madrid, Munich or Miami should all experience the NFL in a way that reflects their culture. We’re not only building engagement in each region but also creating a global network of fans who experience the NFL in ways that are personal, authentic and tailored to their communities.

Is there a particular campaign or moment where audience insights led directly to a breakthrough in fan experience?

A great example is the NFL Schedule Release - we orchestrated communications across the League and all 32 Clubs, delivering personalised content and tailored offers based on a fan’s favourite teams, whether a primetime game, international matchup or season opener.

What could have been a routine, transactional announcement became a shareable cultural moment that drove record engagement, higher ticket sales and revenue for many clubs.

We’ve extended this approach to NFL+, utilising real-time insights to send subscription offers based on how fans engage.

Journey insights also enhance away-game ticketing for high propensity travelling fans. Campaigns integrate ticketing, shop offers and promotions, making it easy for fans to follow their team on the road. It’s personalisation that feels natural, like the NFL is anticipating what fans want next, not just marketing to them.

AI-powered personalisation and content bring a new way for fans to experience the NFL. What can fans look forward to this season that will make it truly unforgettable?

We’re working closely with Adobe to integrate GenAI into our content ecosystem to scale content creation, marketing and 1:1 personalisation. With Adobe, we can produce richer visuals, localised storytelling and assets that respond to moments as they happen.

This season, we’re taking the NFL Live Content Correspondents (LCCs) programme to the next level, giving fans unprecedented access to the stories behind the game. With all-access to players and coaches, LCCs capture moments fans can’t see anywhere else — from locker room celebrations and practice highlights to community events. Using Adobe Creative Cloud apps, LCCs can edit and publish in real time, turning raw footage into authentic, immediate storytelling across social and digital channels. It brings fans closer to the personalities and stories that make football compelling.

And fans aren’t just consuming — they’re creating. With Adobe Express templates, fans will be able to design their own social posts, while the AI Helmet Creator in Adobe Firefly lets them customise helmets in seconds. With AI, we’re turning creativity into connection that strengthens the bond between fans and the game.

It’s exciting to see the NFL empower fans with GenAI  to express their passion for the sport. How else do you see it reshaping the business of sports?

Sport is all about competition and experiences and GenAI has the power to transform both. On the competitive side, it can speed up training, analysis and strategy — from instant scouting reports to simulations that help coaches prepare. Even front offices are utilising it to accelerate film reviews and optimise decisions in real-time.

For fans, GenAI opens new ways to engage — powering immersive, in-stadium experiences. With Adobe Firefly, Express and Creative Cloud apps, we can put that creative power directly in the hands of millions of fans and clubs. Fans can co-create with their favourite teams, making every moment more personal and memorable.

GenAI helps the sports world scale what makes it special: the thrill of competition and the shared experiences that unite millions of fans.

Deepening the fan experience through marketing, creativity and AI is pioneering for sports leagues around the world. What would you share with other marketers looking to embrace new technology and transform the experiences they deliver?

AI is changing how marketers connect with audiences, moving from broad groups to a “segment of one.” At the NFL, we focus on three key principles: seeing our fans, getting to know them deeply and engaging with them meaningfully across all channels. And that means building the right foundation — the right data, the right tools and the right workflows.

Today’s marketers must combine skills in data, tech and communications to deliver real-time, personalised experiences. Fans expect relevance and when we meet that expectation, they give us their most valuable resource: their time. And when we earn their time, business results follow.

For more information on how Adobe can help hyper-personalise media and entertainment experiences, please visit here.

Rachel Thornton is the chief marketing officer for Adobe’s enterprise business. She is committed to helping businesses create amazing customer experiences at the intersection of marketing, creativity and AI. Rachel develops marketing, messaging, positioning strategies and activations that expand awareness of Adobe as the world’s best marketing and AI platform for delivering brand-changing customer experiences. Her team amplifies Adobe’s unique enterprise story in ways that energise, celebrate and empower CMOs and experience makers worldwide.

Rachel has more than 25 years of experience in B2B technology marketing, having held leadership roles at Amazon/AWS, Salesforce, Cisco Systems and Microsoft. She has deep experience building and scaling enterprise marketing, customer acquisition and self-service revenue contributions. Rachel has also driven go-to-market strategy with field marketing, advertising, sports marketing and events teams, including several years running marquee customer events like re:Invent and Dreamforce.

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