Novig's Numbers Are In: Sweeney Ad Drove 218% More First-Time Depositors

The receipts from Novig's Sydney Sweeney campaign are in. Jackson Moreland, writing in Briefs Finance on Sunday, published 20-day post-campaign metrics Novig shared: first-time depositors surged 218%, app downloads rose 187%, trading volume increased 94%, and monthly active users grew 96% month-over-month. Year-over-year, September active users were up 260%.

Co-founder Jacob Fortinsky told Briefs Finance he "did not anticipate this advertisement would generate such high trading volume and attract so many new users." KuCoin News, citing the same campaign data, published the figures on October 3.

The depositor number is the one that matters

Brand awareness metrics are easy to inflate. Instagram follower counts and brand mention spikes are real data points, but they are soft. A first-time depositor is not soft. That is someone who downloaded the app, created an account, verified their identity, and transferred money. The 218% increase in that specific action over 20 days means the controversy converted, not just circulated.

For context on the softer numbers: USA TODAY reported in late September that Novig's Instagram following grew from 37,000 to 93,000 in the two weeks following the ad launch, a 151% increase, and the ad accumulated over 60 million Instagram views. Jared Beilby's USA TODAY analysis tracked those numbers through September 23. The depositor figure is what that attention actually bought.

Still far behind the leaders, moving in one direction

Novig logged $317 million in notional trading volume in the week of September 10 through 16, against Kalshi's $13.6 billion and Polymarket's $1.9 billion in the same period. By market volume, Novig is still a fraction of the leading prediction platforms.

But Novig raised its Series B at a $500 million valuation in February 2026. It is now seeking capital at $2 billion. Fortinsky's "did not anticipate" comment reads more like investor-relations restraint than genuine surprise. The company hired Sweeney as a creative partner and equity holder before the ad launched. The growth Novig just confirmed was the intended outcome.

What the numbers do not settle

The 218% depositor figure validates Novig's marketing strategy. It does not answer whether the ad should have been made.

The critics who objected argued the campaign was degrading, that it targeted gambling-prone audiences, and that it used a woman's body as a customer-acquisition instrument. Those arguments have not changed because the acquisition numbers are good. If anything, confirmation that the strategy worked is precisely what critics were warning about: the trolling was profitable, which means others will run the same play.

Novig has not engaged that argument publicly. Northeastern University marketing professor Stephen Warren described the campaign in September as "almost like an instigating troll sort of thing," noting that he learned about Novig through social commentary rather than the ad itself. The company's focus has been on business metrics and Sweeney's creative co-authorship. That is a legitimate choice. It is also a choice that treats the commercial result as the only result worth discussing.

At a glance

Post-campaign 20-day growth metrics: 218% surge in first-time depositors; 94% trading volume increase; 187% app download growth; 96% MoM monthly active user growth; 260% YoY active user growth in September. Source: Briefs Finance (Jackson Moreland, Oct 4, 2026), citing Novig data.
Fortinsky quote: Jacob Fortinsky, Novig co-founder, told Briefs Finance he "did not anticipate this advertisement would generate such high trading volume and attract so many new users."
Social and volume context: Instagram: 37K to 93K followers (151% increase); 60+ million Instagram views. $317M notional trading volume week of Sept 10-16 vs $13.6B Kalshi and $1.9B Polymarket. Source: USA TODAY / Jared Beilby, Sept 23, 2026.
Valuation trajectory: Series B at $500M valuation (Feb 2026, $75M raised). Now seeking capital at up to $2B valuation. Source: Front Office Sports and WSJ, reported Sept-Oct 2026.

Ad Watch News is an independent commentary site with no affiliation with Sydney Sweeney, Novig, Briefs Finance, KuCoin, USA TODAY, or any party named here. This piece draws on published sources listed below.

Novig's Numbers Are In: Sweeney Ad Drove 218% More First-Time Depositors

The depositor number is the one that matters

Still far behind the leaders, moving in one direction

What the numbers do not settle

At a glance

Sources & further reading

Sydney Sweeney Got Engaged. Industry Said 'Break Up First.'

Hilton's 'Just Try It' Ad Gets 5 Million Views and His Own Party's Wrath

Selma Blair Says 'The Brands I Worked With Were Gone Within a Day'