On and off the field, numbers don’t lie.
Stats outlining the activation for NFL corporate sponsors this season look healthier than ever. The season kicking off this week will see 26 NFL sponsors backing 50 brands, activating across all media. There will be a new high of 45 national NFL-themed TV spots and more than 50 digital ads, using 100 current or former NFL players.
 |
P&G puts Dallas into ads, and team-branded Bud Light cans find heavy activation.
|
Helping boost those numbers is a new trend that sees some league sponsors running NFL-themed ads in batches.
Papa John’s NFL creative, which tells the story of Peyton Manning making the transition from quarterback to fan, will change monthly. Pepsi will have four different pieces of NFL creative, with a fifth on behalf of Buffalo Wild Wings and fantasy football. Marriott will run seven separate ads supporting its NFL rights.
Eighteen-year NFL sponsor Campbell’s Chunky Soup’s “Everyman All-Star League” campaign features NFL stars, like Drew Brees and Odell Beckham Jr., in six TV spots, along with social, digital and a sweepstakes overlay.
“We see more partners telling stories as opposed to straight endorsements, which means more and more creative use of our marks and players,” said Tracie Rodburg, NFL vice president of sponsorships and partnership management.
There are also a few “epic” spots debuting during the season opener on Thursday.
Anheuser-Busch rolls out a 75-second ode from Wieden & Kennedy to the NFL that includes 28 of its 32 teams. Gatorade will break an ad centering on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton’s journey from losing Super Bowl 50 to the Carolina-Denver rematch that will start this season. It will be a 60-second TV ad, with a 1:45 digital version.
Among the usual heavy NFL activators, A-B’s second year of NFL team-branded Bud Light cans stands out. It will be supported by regionalized out-of-home advertising that makes the cans heroes, i.e., the Pittsburgh Steelers can is depicted with copy reading “The Only Can With Six Rings.” Social, digital and experiential marketing also will support the can push.
Last season, A-B saw volume increases of 3.8 percent in markets where Bud Light sold cans featuring local team logos. The tagline: “Beer with your team on it.”
Pepsi is complementing its quintet of NFL TV ads with a “Zone Reads” digital series, using NFL players including Jordan Reed, Tyler Lockett, Antonio Brown, Brian Cushing, Donte Moncrief, Nick Mangold and Delanie Walker.
An accompanying “Win Unreal NFL Experiences” retail promotion ties in the Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Zero Sugar and Tostitos brands, with an on-pack offer splashed across more than 170 million packages.
Among the other big NFL sponsors:
■
McDonald’s will have themed ads pushing its “McPick 2 Menu,” and a sweepstakes to encourage downloading its app.
■
Visa has a themed campaign centering on its Visa Checkout mobile payment system, supported by a “Sofa to Stadium” usage promotion.
■
FedEx, an NFL sponsor since 2000, is using NFL IP to market its FedEx Office stores for the first time.
■
There’s also an unusual amount of activity in the yogurt category, with the Panthers’ Newton in two spots within Oikos Greek yogurt’s “Be Unstoppably You” campaign and supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month with a dedicated spot.
