The NFL has "become critical to the American advertising-industrial complex," as the "seemingly limitless appeal of the sport among consumers -- women, increasingly, as well as men -- has made it almost as crucial a delivery vehicle for commercial messages as the holiday shopping season," according to Stuart Elliott of the N.Y. TIMES. Toyota for example "will introduce the 2014 Corolla with a 60-second musical commercial" by Saatchi & Saatchi, L.A. that will "make its debut" in NBC's Sept. 5 Ravens-Broncos kickoff game. Grey N.Y. President & Chief Creative Officer Tor Myhren said, "There’s an appetite for live sports, and football is by far the largest sport. ... So when there’s a live football game, it’s more meaningful than it’s ever been. It’s one of the few things America watches in real time, together and, as a result, the airtime is very valuable." Grey N.Y.'s parent company WPP "created ads for Gillette Fusion ProGlide razors that will also run on Sept. 5 during NBC’s broadcast." Fox has "already sold" 85-90% of its commercial inventory for Super Bowl XLVIII. The "continuing growth of fantasy football may be feeding the appetite for the sport among consumers and, by extension, marketers." Lenovo is "celebrating fantasy football in a Web based series" called "Tough Season," which "involves the DigitasLBi agency, part of Publicis; the Wasserman Media Group; and The Onion." But the fact that so many marketers are "eager to associate themselves with football is producing a problem: games overflowing with commercials." The "crowded conditions are compounded by all the look-alike spots that are about football." Clorox Marketing Manager Chris Neel said that for companies to "break through the clutter and 'gain more traction,'" he advises "extending campaigns beyond game coverage and into realms like social media" (N.Y. TIMES, 8/28).
