American Guerrilla Marketing
Nationwide serivce
Media planning, media buying, billboard advertising, & guerrilla marketing
Case Study:
AGM partnered with an agency on behalf of their client EA Sports to execute a nationwide wheatpasting activation supporting the launch of EA Sports College Football 25. The campaign deployed 2,500 total 48 × 72 wild posting pieces across 15 major university campuses during Phase I, with another 10 campuses added in the subsequent phase. Installed across student housing zones, off-campus corridors, and the most heavily trafficked student paths, this activation generated immediate cultural visibility and placed the creative directly inside the daily lives of college football fans. Posters were printed on 100lb stock and installed over a 3–4 week national rollout, making this one of the largest collegiate wild posting campaigns of 2024.
EA Sports required high-impact awareness for the launch of College Football 25 and needed a partner capable of executing a coordinated multi-state street-level campaign in student-dense environments. AGM was selected for its extensive national wheatpasting experience, university-market expertise, and proven track record in delivering complex multi-city activations. The primary goal was straightforward: surround students with the brand, drive conversations on campus, and stimulate excitement leading up to launch.
AGM developed a campus-first strategy focused on proximity and saturation. The targeting framework emphasized student villages, off-campus apartments, dorm clusters, nightlife loops, and high-traffic game-day neighborhoods. Wheatpasting was selected as the exclusive format because of its authenticity and relevance to student culture. Large 48 × 72 posters created a bold, disruptive presence that integrated seamlessly into college-town environments.
AGM selected campuses based on football culture, enrollment size, student density, and physical suitability for wheatpasting. Phase I included:
These campuses provided the best environment for large-format wild postings and offered ideal overlaps between student demographics and EA Sports’ core fan base.
All posters were printed on 100lb paper to maintain durability across varied climates. No custom fabrication was required, as creative was supplied by EA Sports. AGM’s responsibilities included routing, logistics, national scheduling, field oversight, and ensuring consistent quality across all 2,500 pieces. No permits or approvals were required for the markets involved.
Installations spanned 3–4 weeks as teams moved market-to-market, adjusting routes to fit each campus layout. Student housing clusters, dining districts, transit paths, and high-visibility walls were prioritized. Across multiple campuses, installers noted that posters began disappearing within days. Students removed pieces to hang in dorm rooms and fraternity houses, turning the campaign into organic campus décor. Some posters appeared on eBay as unofficial memorabilia, including listings such as:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/286012779451
Students began following installers, asking for extras, and tracking locations of new drops. The activation embedded itself directly into campus culture.
Digital activity surged as the posters appeared across campuses. Viral posts and social chatter amplified the impact well beyond the physical placements. Examples include:
[Fink] Check out these new EA College Football promo posters on FSU Campus
byu/SNjr infsusports
This online amplification validated the physical success of the activation and transformed it into a cultural moment across college football communities.
The EA Sports College Football 25 wheatpasting campaign succeeded because it combined national scale, hyperlocal targeting, and culturally resonant creative execution. The installations became campus collectibles, drove student-to-student sharing, and created widespread digital conversation. AGM demonstrated its ability to manage complex national deployments while tailoring placements to the rhythms and behaviors of student life. Future clients can expect the same combination of precision, authenticity, and cultural impact across any multi-market activation.
Wheatpasting was selected because it is highly authentic, visually dominant, and naturally aligned with student culture. Large-format posters integrate seamlessly into university environments and generate strong organic engagement in ways traditional advertising cannot.
AGM used a national routing framework supported by local-field intelligence, campus mapping, and real-time coordination across teams. Installers adapted to each university’s housing layout, traffic flow, and student behavior patterns to maintain consistent quality across all locations.
The posters quickly became collectibles among students, leading to removal, dorm-room display, social sharing, and even resale activity online. The cultural relevance of the game, combined with high-impact visuals placed in student-heavy areas, helped the campaign gain momentum across social platforms.
The campaign created immediate physical visibility and online amplification. Students posted sightings, shared photos, participated in online discussions, and contributed to organic spread. Combined with the nationwide placements, this drove awareness, anticipation, and higher engagement around the release.
This case study demonstrates AGM’s ability to execute complex multi-market projects at scale while adapting placements to the specific dynamics of each campus. AGM delivered a unified national rollout with localized precision, cultural relevance, and strong online impact, creating a model for future cross-country activations.
