Walmart plans to step up its NFL advertising this Thanksgiving "to support its Black Friday sales," according to Neff & Schultz of AD AGE. Walmart U.S. Exec VP & CMO Stephen Quinn said, "We're doing more with the NFL around Black Friday than we've ever done." Asked why the retailer decided to use the NFL on Thanksgiving this year, Quinn said, "I don't know why we didn't figure it out sooner." Neff & Schultz noted the NFL after all is the "primary TV event on the day before the Black Friday holiday-shopping frenzy." Quinn: "What we've found is that (NFL advertising) also works with our associates, so it has a magnifying effect." NFL CMO Mark Waller noted that Walmart "isn't an NFL official sponsor, and the league didn't have any direct influence on the company increasing its NFL involvement this year" (AD AGE, 10/14 issue).
PIGSKIN POWER: ADWEEK's Anthony Crupi examined how much shows on the fall TV schedule charge for 30-second ads, and reported Fox' roster of eight late-window national NFL games "fetches a jaw-dropping $595,000" per spot. NBC's "SNF" is second with a cost of "around $570,000 a throw," while the net's "Football Night In America" draws $135,780 per ad. The cost of ads on Fox' "The OT" and its Saturday primetime sports window, as well as ABC's Saturday night college football game, were not disclosed. CBS' "The Big Bang Theory" is the highest-charging non-sports program, as it "commands a staggering $326,260 per 30-second spot" (ADWEEK.com, 10/13).
