NFL licensee Under Armour is embarking on its most ambitious Super Bowl marketing effort to date, mounting a 12,000-square-foot “immersive brand experience” within New York’s Grand Central Terminal Thursday to Sunday of Super Bowl week.
Grand Central Terminal management contends that 750,000 people pass through the 101-year-old structure daily. During those four days of Super Bowl week, those commuters will see in the terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall footwear and apparel product displays, video screens, and an interactive zone through which fans can experience what it’s like to field an NFL punt, for example. The brand’s NFL endorsers will make appearances. Under Armour will conduct retail sales on site, as well.
“This is about allowing consumers to touch and feel our brand in a cool way during Super Bowl week and about overall brand buzz and awareness for Under Armour in New York City,” said Steve Sommers, Under Armour’s vice president of global brand marketing.
Much of the focus will be on Under Armour’s Speedform Apollo running shoes, which launch in late February. The brand will drive traffic to the experience with social media, digital ads, retail and radio ads.
“Clutter is the key word this year, and while we’ve seen other brands using out-of-home media, our choice was to choose an iconic location like Grand Central, where we can showcase the brand in a place where there is always a lot of [pedestrian] traffic,” Sommers said.
Peter Stern’s Strategic agency, New York, is handling for Under Armour.
