It’s been said that as many people watch the Super Bowl for the commercials as they do the Big Game. Annually the most-viewed television show, it gives brands well known and obscure an incentive to plunk $2.4 million per 30-second block (Fox’s going rate for Super Bowl XXIX) to get in on the action.
But brand managers agree that as much attention can be generated at a fraction of the cost with a sweepstakes that will link them to the Super Bowl, dangling a trip to see the Big Game in person.
Fox will no doubt sell each of its 58 30-second in-game units for the Feb. 6 live event in Jacksonville, FL. But Pepsi, which has purchased six in-game ad units, actually bucks the NFL’s sponsorship trend. According to Peter Murray, NFL VP, Partnership Marketing & Corporate Sales, only six of the 20 NFL’s sponsors — Pepsi, Frito-Lay, FedEx, General Motors, Visa and Ameriquest Mortgage Company — had purchased ad time by the end of November.
NFL sponsors such as Southwest Airlines, Canon, Campbell’s and IBM do in-game advertising during the regular season. However, Murray says the league encourages its sponsors to purchase ad time during the big game.
“By far, it’s the largest audience an advertiser can reach at one time in the United States,” says Nicole Bradley, manager of public relations for Purchase, NY-based PepsiCo. “There is no other advertising vehicle that can provide that. There is so much hype surrounding the game that it brings great awareness to our programs.”
Pepsi, however, takes advantage of its NFL sponsorship by dangling a trip to the Super Bowl through its online Pepsi Rookie of the Year Sweepstakes. Consumers could enter one time a day at the NFL’s Web site for a chance to win a trip for two plus accommodations and $250 spending cash.
Southwest recently completed its annual “Take Your Team to the Super Bowl” sweeps, in which the grand prizewinner can take 10 guests on an all-expense paid trip to the Big Game. The package includes 11 tickets to the Super Bowl, 11 for the league’s NFL Experience mobile tour, airfare and hotel accommodations, NFL merchandise and lunch with an NFL player or coach.
The sweeps was promoted in airport terminals, online and with television commercials starring ESPN personality Chris Berman. The sweeps was fulfilled online, which helped Southwest keep costs down as well. The airline’s in-house agency handled.
“The NFL is such a huge brand, and we feel like our customers are fans of game,” says Andy Allman, senior manager of sports marketing for NFL Sponsor Southwest Airlines. “They like football, we like football, and we feel the connection with the fans. And if you want to reach a male age 25-54, that is where they are.”
Though Southwest does not release the number of entries by gender, Allmann says there has been only one male grand prize winner in the contest’s seven years, proving you can reach both sexes through a league sponsorship.
Through its second year of its “Snickers Hungriest Player” campaign, Masterfoods awards tickets not just to the Super Bowl, but the NFL Pro Bowl in Hawaii, the conference championship games and the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day Games.
“One thing we learned from 2003 was that our male target audience of 18-24 loved the experience of the NFL. It gets them interactive and enthusiastic about the brand,” says Lisa Lally, account director for Chicago-based Draft Worldwide, which handles the campaign. “We’re trying to get the consumer who loves Snickers and loves the NFL and give them the opportunity to do something they ordinarily can’t do. We can do that by offering a hard-ticket item like the Super Bowl as a prize.”
But it’s not just sponsors who can dangle a prize. Many brands that do not have the right to use the NFL’s trademarks run sweeps dangling tickets to “The Big Game,” or trips to the host city on the same weekend the game is played without a promise of game tickets.
Gary Gertzog, NFL Senior Vice President-Business Affairs and General Counsel, says it’s legal as long as the brand is not trying to pass itself off as a league sponsor. He says NFL sponsors are not bashful about reporting non-sponsors who try to represent themselves as a part of the league.
Lincoln Mercury is taking that route, dangling a Feb. 4-7 trip to Jacksonville as part of its integrated marketing campaign for its 2006 Lincoln Mark LT luxury truck. The grand-prize includes round-trip coach air transportation for two, five-day/four-night hotel accommodations, ground transportation and two tickets to the Sports Illustrated Super Swimsuit Party and the Sports Illustrated Tailgate and Post Game Party. Young & Rubicam, New York, handles.
Lincoln is the exclusive automotive sponsor of Sports Illustrated’s Super Swimsuit Party, and there will be two Lincoln Mark LT vehicles on display along the red carpet leading up to the party.
Wireless service provider Alltel took another route, partnering with NFL sponsor Motorola to attach its brand to the Super Bowl. The marriage makes sense for both brands, since Motorola is the NFL’s official wireless sponsor and Alltel has the naming rights on the stadium where the game will be played. The two send five winners of its TXT2Win MVP Sweepstakes to the Super Bowl, where one of them will receive a $1 million grand prize.
But the brand that may be most visible this month promoting the Big Game will be Ameriquest, which will sponsor the Super Bowl halftime show. After last year’s production, viewers are expected to stay tuned to Fox to watch for another “wardrobe malfunction.”
Bur according to Murray, viewers can expect to see a celebration of the league during the festivities, produced by Don Mischer Productions and starring Paul McCartney, just like the live nationally-televised NFL Opening Kickoff show presented by Ameriquest in September.
Based on the exposure it received in September, Ameriquest signed on as an official NFL sponsor and attached itself to the Super Bowl halftime show.
GM’s Cadillac brand is also taking an in-game sponsorship with the Cadillac Super Bowl MVP award.
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