Sleep Number is amping up its media budget in its second year as an NFL sponsor, adding Cowboys QB Dak Prescott as an endorser and increasing its NFL club sponsorships from two to three. Prescott will appear in a national ad for the high-end mattress marketing set to debut later this week to tie-in to the start of the '19 season. Prescott, who ranked 10th in THE DAILY's recent survey of the NFL's most marketable players, also has done national campaigns for ATT/DirecTV, Campbell’s Chunky Soup, Beats, Dannon and Citibank. Meanwhile, the Chiefs join team deals Sleep Number has with the Cowboys and Vikings. The latest team pact is supported by deals with Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, who will appear in local ads, and Pro Football HOFer Tony Gonzalez, who played the majority of his career for the Chiefs. The company also this summer added a sponsorship with the HOF itself. “We’re looking to make the brand bigger, but still go deeper with our local relationships,’’ said Sleep Number Senior VP & CMO Kevin Brown. He added that Sleep Number will “significantly increase” its media commitments behind the NFL this season. Without wanting to reveal specifics, Brown noted that last year Sleep Number advertised in four "TNF" telecasts; that number will increase this season to 12. Also supporting the sponsorship is a nine part “digital storytelling” series via CNN’s Courageous Studios. As for the efficacy of an NFL sponsorship? “All of our brand health measures, whether its consideration, awareness, or ‘brand buzz,’ are at or above record highs, and even higher for NFL fans,’’ Brown said. “That gave us confidence to spend more on media.”
