The Super Bowl is a national sporting holiday, the marquee event of the NFL season, and marketing’s greatest day of the year. But does the Super Bowl really deliver for brands? We strongly believe it does, especially as far as public relations is concerned.
If you consider the broader American sports landscape, the NFL remains the big dog, with millions engaging each week across a variety of channels. In 2011, the NFL accounted for nine of the Top 10 television programs, topped by the broadcast of the Super Bowl, which claimed 111 million viewers. Last year’s labor strife and lockout, which truncated training camps and threatened the start of the season, didn’t affect business–a fact evidenced late in 2011 when the television networks renewed their partnerships with the league for healthy increases.
As the NFL has grown in popularity, so has the Super Bowl, to the point where it stands today as a natural place—perhaps the ultimate place—for successful public relations activation. The sheer amount of media attentions is staggering. This year, thousands of media members will descend upon Indianapolis looking for compelling content and topical guests. Many of the media are holed up on “Radio Row,” a collection of national and local sports radio outlets broadcasting live from the Super Bowl media center virtually around the clock. This is coupled by the presence of various ESPN and NFL Network shows, along with a host of other sports and celebrity-driven programs, such as Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Brands present at the Super Bowl enjoy a tremendous opportunity to leverage this “captive audience.” NFL players and Hollywood stars swarm constantly around the media center, conducting interviews to discuss which team has the better offensive line, their fondest Super Bowl memories, and, of course, to deliver the key messages of the brands they are representing. The Super Bowl might be the only place where Madonna, Joe Namath and Drew Brees all stand next to one another promoting an endeavor.
The star power at a Super Bowl, combined with the power of social media, provides a strong consumer connection point for brands. Now more than ever, brands can extend their reach, engage influencers and give their audiences a real sense of “being there” for the festivities during the week, whether posting photos and tweeting from different events, live streaming a spokesperson Q&A, providing more exclusive content, and engaging in a dialogue. As our Catalyst Fan Engagement Study shows, sports fans are 55% more likely to purchase a product if an athlete mentions it on Facebook or Twitter. Using the period around the Super Bowl, when NFL fans are naturally even more engaged, is a perfect time to leverage relevant spokespeople for social media content.
Is it all too excessive? Well, no. People love the sport, are craving content, and are seeking new ways to engage. Brands are capitalizing on that and are – smartly – crafting their marketing programs accordingly. While ads remain a focal point, brands enjoy much more leeway than ever to play in this space.
For our agency, the Super Bowl Week is one of the biggest of the year for us. We have teams in Indianapolis representing multiple clients, including ESPN, Under Armour, and Timex. It’s a great deal of work, but also an opportunity to make a great impact for our clients, build and strengthen media relationships, and see what other brands out there are doing to capitalize on the Super Bowl.
Come Sunday, it’s time to relax a little, sit back, and enjoy the game.
(This post has been cross-promoted from the Council of Public Relations Firms)
