Sydney Sweeney Turns a Controversial Ad into a Stake‑Holding Power Move

When you think of celebrity ads that stir up a frenzy, the name Sydney Sweeney probably jumps to mind. She’s already proved she can set social feeds ablaze – remember the American Eagle "great jeans" spot that got everyone talking about genetics and fashion? This time, however, she’s done something a little different: she’s taken a piece of the pie.

Earlier this year the actress struck a deal with Novig, a fledgling sports‑prediction market that bets on everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series. Instead of a one‑off paycheck, Sweeney negotiated an equity stake and a title as creative director. In other words, she didn’t just lend her face to the campaign – she helped build it from the ground up.

The resulting minute‑long video, titled “Just Sports,” is unmistakably bold. Sweeney lounges on a field, draped only in a football and a scattering of gear, touting the platform in a tone that feels part hype, part cheeky rebellion. The clip has already racked up millions of views on X and Instagram, sparking heated debates about the sexualization of women in sports advertising. But the controversy is only half the story.

Novig’s CEO Jacob Fortinsky told Front Office Sports that Sweeney approached the company because she liked its laser‑focused mission – betting exclusively on sports events – and wanted to be more than a token mascot. “She wanted to be a shareholder, not just a poster girl,” Fortinsky said. That sentiment is echoed by a source close to the deal who asked to remain anonymous: Sweeney was hands‑on with everything from the soundtrack to the camera angles, even tweaking the script line by line.

Why does this matter? In a space dominated by deep‑pocketed rivals like Polymarket and Kalshi, a startup can’t outspend its competitors on media buys. What it can do is out‑attention them. Brand strategist Shruti Saini, an adjunct professor at USC’s Annenberg School, summed it up nicely: “If you’re Novig, you can’t out‑spend Polymarket. So you have to out‑attention them. Sydney is a competitive weapon.”

The numbers back that claim. While Polymarket splurged on a star‑studded campaign featuring LeBron James and Derek Jeter – reportedly paying James $15 million a year – its Instagram post barely nudged 55,000 likes. Novig’s Sweeney‑led piece, by contrast, blew past 1.2 million likes, despite the company’s modest $500 million valuation compared with Polymarket’s $20 billion worth.

It’s a classic case of “small‑budget, big‑impact.” By giving Sweeney a genuine stake, Novig turned a simple endorsement into a partnership that aligns the actress’s earnings with the platform’s long‑term success. If Novig’s user base keeps growing, her equity could eventually be worth far more than a typical endorsement fee.

Sweeney isn’t new to this kind of hands‑on marketing. Back in October 2024 she starred in a splashy Dr. Squatch ad that showed her soaking in a bubble bath. She later pitched a limited‑edition soap made with her own bathwater, selling out 5,000 bars in seconds. The stunt generated a burst of Instagram love – 90,000 likes and tens of thousands of reshares – proving she can turn a fleeting viral moment into actual sales.

That said, virality is a fickle friend. A year after her controversial American Eagle campaign, the retailer’s stock had largely reverted to pre‑ad levels, suggesting that shock value alone can’t sustain growth. Saini warns that “viral spikes are great for awareness, but they fade fast unless they’re tied to a deeper strategy.”

In Novig’s case, the strategy goes deeper. By embedding herself in the creative process and taking an ownership slice, Sweeney is betting on the platform’s future – and giving the startup a cultural foothold it might never have earned on cash alone.

Whether you love the ad’s provocation or cringe at its nudity, one thing’s clear: Sydney Sweeney has turned a moment of controversy into a calculated business play, showing that today’s celebrity endorsements can be as much about equity as exposure.