U.S. Bank’s name "will be everywhere" during the week of Super Bowl LII, played at U.S. Bank Stadium, even "without a high-priced commercial during the game," according to Nicole Norfleet of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. U.S. Bank will "take advantage of the Super Bowl being played in its hometown to connect with the 1 million people who are expected to visit the Twin Cities and the millions more who tune in to watch the game Feb. 4." U.S. Bank is a "sponsorship partner of the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee, but not of the Super Bowl itself." The company "purchased TV commercials that will run locally during the Super Bowl pregame show, but it is not running national ads during the game." U.S. Bank will "partner with Visa to take over the McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood & Steaks restaurant on the ground floor of its corporate office." The restaurant will be "turned into U.S. Bank’s Possibilities Lounge, extending its 'Power of Possible' marketing campaign, and will be part of the Super Bowl Live experience along Nicollet Mall." In the football-themed lounge, visitors will be "given scannable stickers that can be used to 'buy' items like mittens and hats at a vending machine and coffee bar." There will also be "retired athletes at the lounge, which will be open on the Wednesday to Saturday before the Sunday game." At the Super Bowl Experience, U.S. Bank and Visa "will have a presence at the entrance of the NFL Shop." U.S. Bank will also "wrap some of the light-rail stations in advertising" and "already has done so at the station closest to the stadium" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 12/15).
LOOKING FOR INSURANCE: U.S. Bank CMO Beth McDonnell said, "We really want to take advantage of that opportunity -- when all eyes are going to be not only on Minneapolis and Minnesota, but also U.S. Bank Stadium -- and really try to continue to tell our brand story." In Minneapolis, Nick Halter noted U.S. Bank is "taking steps to ensure that its name and logo are featured prominently during the Super Bowl broadcast." Halter: "How many times will Al Michaels say, 'Welcome back to U.S. Bank Stadium?' How many times will U.S. Bank Stadium signage be shown after a timeout?" U.S. Bank "isn’t leaving that up to chance." McDonnell said, "We have a partnership with NBC. We are working with them on those exact things. It’s a science. They don’t just happen to show U.S. Bank X number of times. We work with them to make sure they show it the number of times we want" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/13).
