Ariat Gets Brock Purdy and His Linemen Two-Stepping Into Cowboy Culture
Ariat, the leader in innovative Western and work footwear and apparel, has teamed up with socially-led creative agency We Are Social U.S. to launch Line-Men Dancing – a campaign that two-steps into culture’s hottest revival and puts NFL quarterback Brock Purdy and linemen centre stage as line dancers.
A long-time Ariat fan, Brock is known for his precision on the field – but this campaign reveals a side of him fans have never seen before. Inspired by the surge of line dancing sweeping culture, Line-Men Dancing combines Brock’s love of western style with the tight-knit rhythm of football’s most synchronised players.
In the hero film, Purdy, a crew of Stanford linemen, 49ers teammate Jake Brendel, and retired NFL Tight End Bear Pascoe two-step in Ariat boots to a special version of Annie Bosko’s “Honky Tonk Heartbeat (Football Line-Men Dancing).” The country artist wrote the track exclusively for this campaign, with choreography by the Impact Dance Team of Mesa, AZ. Bosko’s studio version of the song drops Friday ahead of her forthcoming album, California Cowgirl, out this fall.
True to form, the linemen arrived to set prepared, having learned the moves in advance as if studying a playbook.
To bring the idea to life, We Are Social enlisted acclaimed director Ben Christensen, known for his cinematic storytelling and cultural relevance. Ben captured both the polished hero video and behind-the-scenes moments of the linemen learning the dance, giving the campaign a playful, authentic energy perfect for social audiences.
Envisioned with a deep understanding of social culture, the film was built first for short-form TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube content, with the idea of pushing its dynamic and entertaining nature further with the expansion to national TV, including a spot during Thursday Night Football. A clear example of how modern brands are leveraging social-first thinking to drive even traditional campaigns – not the other way around.
“Brock and his linemen move in sync on the field – we wanted to take that same chemistry off the turf and into the western culture we were starting to see bubbling up in social media,” said Matt Walker, executive creative director at We Are Social U.S. “Ben Christensen, known for his authentic western-themed work, was the perfect director to capture that cowboy spirit, placing Ariat’s boots exactly where we wanted them in the overall cultural landscape.”
Despite being trend-forward, this campaign is more than a one-off dance video. Brock is an authentic and loyal Ariat fan who has long shared his love of the brand with friends, and now with his fans. Fans can join the fun as Brock and the linemen show off their Ariat boots, while Ariat-sponsored athletes, ambassadors, and creators add their own flair to the dance. The campaign celebrates not only Purdy’s love of Western lifestyle, but also the brand’s signature combination of performance and style in a way that’s entertaining, unexpected, and utterly shareable.
“We knew Brock could dance, so we created a campaign that celebrates three things the Ariat community loves: football, country music, and line dancing. It also shows fans a side of Brock they don’t see on the field,” said Susan Alcala, Ariat’s vice president of partnership marketing. “Our partnership with Brock has always been about showing who he truly is. It’s not just his athleticism that wins games; it’s his leadership and trust with his teammates. Those traits really shined on set when the cameras were off as he coached the guys on their footwork and laughed through everyone’s missteps – including his own.”
