Calling all sports fans!
What an interesting year it has been for sports. As we have battled COVID-19, sports were cancelled for months in the beginning, but have slowly started kicking again as we find safe ways to play. For the past few months, we have been able to see boxing, basketball (in a bubble!) and golf. As we move closer into fall, sports like tennis and soccer have also opened up. One sport that people have been anticipating, however, is football!!
Well, if you’re one of those people, you’re in luck! The NFL season starts TONIGHT!
Whether you’re a die hard fan or you are just looking forward to some normalcy again, its safe to say a lot of people are very excited for football season.
With that being said, how has NFL during COVID changed the big-game marketing plans that accompany each football season? A recent New York Times analysis has reported that the pandemic has put up to $1 billion in ad spending at risk for college football, so what does that mean for professional? Lets take a look at all the ways different brands are marketing during this season.
Some of the NFL’s biggest league sponsors, like Pepsi, are forging ahead with their ad spending and simply tweaking the messaging.
Changes include less of a focus on in-stadium messaging like jumbotrons and T-shirt cannons and more of a focus on the home with direct-to-consumer offerings, including two new e-commerce sites and a whole new marketing platform including TV ads, on-air and retail integrations, social media filters and a dedicated microsite.
Social media has also seen a spike in marketing and engagement during the pandemic with platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Snapchat. You will be seeing brands take advantage of this.
The NFL is also working with brand partners, including Microsoft and Verizon, on ways to include fans in its 2020 season likely impacted by Covid-19.
Other NFL brand partners like Oakley and Gatorade have come up with new ways to keep players safe from the virus on the field.
Ideas around a Covid-19 impacted season include bottle cap inserts preprinted with players uniform numbers to distinguish personal Gatorade bottles, Visa’s contact-less transaction technology, and Verizon’s 5G capabilities for fan engagement both in stadiums and viewers at home.
Concepts around the upcoming season include face shields designed by Oakley. The clear face guards are meant to replicate regular face masks and protect players around the mouth and nose area to reduce the risk of contamination during play.
These are only a few of the ways brands are tailoring their marketing strategies during this time. As the season unfolds, we will be able to witness the creativity that stems from NFL sponsors.
Now, its time for kickoff! Are you in the game for a new marketing team for your company? StrategyNest can score you a marketing touchdown. Call us today.