Coming off its most integrated and successful Super Bowl marketing campaign ever, the NFL is marshaling more sponsorship forces than ever behind this week’s player draft.
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Sprint Nextel and Campbell’s are activating
around the NFL draft. |
Just as the league’s offseason platform has more television coverage than ever, with both NFL Network and ESPN going gavel-to-gavel, so are more sponsors activating behind the draft, which last year pulled a 4.3 rating on ESPN for the first day, meaning it drew more viewers than most other live cable sports offerings that weren’t the NFL.
On the corporate side, Campbell’s is again running a “Predict the Picks” sweepstakes on NFL.com, where prizes include a trip to the 2006 season’s opening game in Pittsburgh on Sept. 7 and gift cards for NFLshop.com. Campbell’s will have signage and sampling on site at Radio City Music Hall during the draft and will donate Chunky Soup to a food bank in the city of the draft’s top pick — at this point, Houston.
The league’s official beverages are big media sponsors of the event. Coors is heavily vested in ESPN’s draft coverage as the presenting sponsor, while Diet Pepsi is the presenting sponsor of NFL Network’s draft marathon and on NFL.com.
General Motors is matching its Hummer brand with the NFL for the first time. Its H3 SUV gets an “official vehicle of the draft” designation and will be displayed on-site at the draft. It also has an ad buy on NFL Network.
NFL sponsor Sprint will sponsor the “Draft Room” on NFL.com and run a contest to pick the best draft long shot of all time. As an example, hall of famer Bart Starr wasn’t drafted until the 17th round. (For more on Sprint’s plans, see page 11).
Reebok will have its standard product placement of caps placed on the heads of newly drafted players and also will have a kiosk at Radio City selling NFL draft products.
Visa is offering special draft access to those who hold its upscale “Signature” cards. For $75, you can get breakfast with ESPN analyst Chris Fowler, a Wilson football and the privilege of handing a Reebok cap to one of the first four picks on Saturday.
FedEx is leveraging the draft largely for a client hospitality opportunity and will welcome a corporate crowd of about 600.
In association with the draft, the league is holding its annual sponsor summit in New York this week. Peter Murray, NFL vice president, partnership and corporate sales, said some club marketers will also attend, and the league will present fan research along with new NFL activation platforms.
NFL Network will also be staging its first upfront presentation.
The NFL is promoting the draft with an out-of-home ad campaign in high-traffic areas around Manhattan. More than 400 double-sided street pole banners with the draft thematic “Dreams Start Here” and players including Michael Strahan, Matt Hasselbeck, Ben Roethlisberger, Jonathan Vilma and Tony Gonzalez will be visible at New York airports, train stations, bus shelters and pay telephone kiosks.
