Last year’s New York/New Jersey Super Bowl yielded the most sales ever for NFL licensees. The hot market for Seattle’s championship eclipsed everyone’s predictions. The NFL is hoping for something nearly as big for Super Bowl 50 in 2016.
So what are the expectations for Super Bowl XLIX licensed products?
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| Nike will have products for sale at the NFL Experience. |
With the Pro Bowl as a lead-up, two weekends in play, and more activity in downtown Phoenix than either of the two prior games there, NFL officials reject the notion that this year’s Super Bowl will be any sort of orphan.
“We’ve got the Pro Bowl as a tentpole event the week before,” said Leo Kane, the NFL’s senior vice president of consumer products. “Last time we were here, the NFL Experience was at the stadium. Now it’s downtown, so we’re feeling like this is a first-time opportunity and we’re very optimistic about retail.”
After concentrating days of Super Bowl-themed events in Indianapolis in 2012 and Manhattan last year, NFL consumer product officials learned that when you send fans downtown, retail sales follow. More than a million people are expected at Super Bowl Central in downtown Phoenix.
The NFL Experience fan fest, back after a yearlong hiatus, will also be downtown, at the Phoenix Convention
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| '47 Brand (left) and New Era have extensive product lineups as well. The downtown Phoenix hub of fan activity is expected to help power merchandise sales. |
Center. It will include a 30,000 square-foot NFL Shop at Super Bowl presented by Visa, open through Sunday and operated by Aramark. Licensees including Nike, New Era, ’47 Brand and Majestic will have products for sale, player signings and other “retail-tainment.”
Personalization/customization are increasingly important sales drivers, so fans will be able to put their names on more apparel then ever. They can even have photos of themselves placed on Wilson footballs.
“For so many, it’s all about being able to say ‘I was there,’ so we’re getting a little bit better at that every year,” said Natara Holloway, the NFL’s vice president of retail development.
The NFL Fan Style Tour, a 28-stop mobile marketing tour, also will be on hand.
Chris Halpin, named the NFL’s senior vice president of licensing and consumer products in August, sees exploitation of and integration with the NFL’s lock on television as a key to increasing licensed product sales.
Accordingly, media day (aka, Super Bowl XLIX Media Day Fueled By Gatorade) is more of a fashion runway than ever, where players will model media-day exclusive products from lead licensees Nike and New Era. The products will be sold on-site via a pop-up store at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
“Media day is a platform we can continue to grow,” Kane said.
