The NFL’s largest corporate patrons are finalizing Super Bowl activation programs, with more in downtown Phoenix than in prior championship weeks in Arizona.
“The downtown [Phoenix] infrastructure has expanded, so we’re taking advantage of that,” said Renie Anderson, NFL senior vice president, sponsorship and partnership management.
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Marriott is highlighting its Courtyard brand with train wraps.
Photo by: Courtyard |
As has been the case since it reclaimed NFL rights in 2010, Anheuser-Busch will have one of the largest activations with an over-the-top branded hotel. What used to be called the Bud Light Hotel will now be the “House Of Whatever” as it transforms the downtown Hotel Palomar into a Bud Light hospitality refuge and stages a series of concerts at an adjacent temporary area.
Pepsi plays off its halftime show sponsorship with a spot leading in to the show. Its “Hyped for Halftime” supporting campaign staged a 7,500-person concert in Rochester, N.Y., recently as a lead-in sweepstakes payoff.
Pepsi also will sponsor a music stage as part of Super Bowl Central, the fan zone in downtown Phoenix.
On the ground, Pepsi promises to be as visible as any brand in the Phoenix area with heavy out-of-home buys at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport; downtown with billboards, building and transit wraps and product sampling; and around University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, site of Super Bowl XLIX.
Among the interesting retail activations is an exclusive at Target offering a plastic “Snack Stadium” with the purchase of Pepsi and Tostitos.
“We’re well on track to hit our share swing goals,” said Adam Harter, Pepsi vice president of consumer engagement. “Aside from volume, we’re looking at brand-regard metrics, just being the most talked about brand during the game and owning that unique space at the intersection of music and sports.”
Another space in the Super Bowl marketing continuum is the intersection of technology and sports. Verizon will use
its eight-figure NFL rights to try to claim that coveted juncture.
There’s a national #WhosGonnaWin social media program. Fan preferences will determine the colors of nightly light shows projected onto the Collier Center building in downtown Phoenix.
Locally, Verizon, title sponsor of Super Bowl Central, will sponsor a plethora of charging stations and will have a Verizon Power House tech display.
“We want to put our technology at the center of it, showcase the brand and provide utility for fans throughout,” said Kristin Rooney, Verizon’s director of sports and entertainment marketing.
Marriott, in its fourth year as an NFL corporate sponsor, will have train wraps and Super Bowl branding at many of its 12 local Courtyard hotels. The Courtyard Camera social media play, which began with a video of a disguised Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles waiting on guests at a Courtyard restaurant, will continue. Another one will be shot early in Super Bowl week.
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| This mock-up shows building wraps planned by Pepsi. |
Courtyard guests will receive Super Bowl key cards, beverage koozies and sunglasses at check-in. Courtyard also is hosting several events with hotel owners. Given its physical locations, Marriott has less problem with clutter than many competing for attention in the Super Bowl market.
“What the NFL has brought us is consideration … when consumers know that we are an NFL partner, their likelihood to consider increases beyond statistical measure, “ said Callette Nielsen, vice president and global brand manager for Courtyard by Marriott.
The NFL Experience returns after a year in hibernation. Sponsor activation highlights include an NFL locker room built entirely from Skittles, the Castrol “Strength to Perform Challenge,” and a Visa-sponsored, 30,000-square-foot store filled with NFL-licensed products.
At the stadium, temporary gate entrances will be sponsored by Pepsi, SAP, Verizon and Snickers. The GameDay Fan Plaza will provide more sponsor interaction for the likes of Pepsi, Anheuser-Busch, Tostitos and others.
The NFL has been working to provide sponsors a clean venue at the Super Bowl, so within the bowl any conflicting sponsor signage will be covered with Super bowl signage.
