When it comes to getting before the public in a major way, there's nothing that matches advertising during the Super Bowl, which takes place on Feb. 7 in Miami.
But there's more to advertising at the Super Bowl than running a 30-second spot. Advertisers can also reach football fans through out-of-home advertising in the Super Bowl host city itself. It's a way to be part of the Super Bowl, and perhaps even get air time, and at far less cost.
There are a number of options in the two weeks leading up to game day, from street light banners, bus wraps and sponsoring events such as press conferences and concerts to posting ad messages at the entrance to the stadium to having one's messages on display inside the stadium.
To find out how to get your client’s message at the Super Bowl, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising at and around the Super Bowl.
Who
The NFL handles all out-of-home advertising and sponsorships at the stadium and the immediate area of the stadium with the exception of permanent signage in the stadium itself and existing billboards.
How it works
The advertisers around the Super Bowl and related events in the game’s host city are usually major brands that are also running spots during the game, but it's not always the case. It's possible for an advertiser to opt in for an out-of-home element without buying TV time and still have an impact. That can mean huge savings, with 30-second spots in the upcoming game going for more than $2 million.
Pepsi will not be airing spots during this year's Super Bowl for the first time in more than two decades but the PepsiCo brands will still have a huge presence in Miami. Pepsi will sponsor two concerts in the days leading up to the game, one with a pop focus to air on VH1, the other a Hispanic-focused event to air on Telemundo.
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Celebs who attend the events will no doubt be photographed in front of a backdrop that features the Pepsi logo, ensuring that it will then appear in countless celebrity magazines, as well as web sites and blogs.
Gatorade, another PepsiCo brand, will sponsor Super Bowl media day, in which the press is granted access to players on the game’s participating teams. For the first time the backdrops behind the players will feature a brand logo, Gatorade's. So when player interviews are aired constantly on ESPN and other outlets, Gatorade’s presence will be seen.
Elsewhere, Motorola will sponsor a media center for this season’s Super Bowl, athletic apparel company Under Armour will sponsor youth football clinics, and Bank of America will sponsor community events, such as a project in which NFL players will build a playground.
Coors will be visible in Miami on street banners and billboards, and at the game itself Mars, Sprint and Reebok will have signage at the stadium’s entrance gates. During the game Bridgestone will sponsor the halftime show featuring The Who, and league sponsors will flash on the stadium’s LED boards.
As with so many major events, Super Bowl advertisers are guaranteed a certain amount of exclusivity, and to enforce that it sets up a so-called “clean zone” in a one-mile radius around the stadium in which only NFL-approved advertising is permitted. The idea of course is to prevent non-approved advertisers from grabbing off free air time in the event cameras covering the hoopla surrounding the game should pan over their particular ad vehicle, be it a mobile billboard, a street team, video screens or banners.
The Miami football stadium actually has a similar zone set up all year round that’s enforced by the city, and for the Super Bowl the league will also have people on the ground to help enforce it.
Markets
This season’s Super Bowl is in Miami, with 2011 in Arlington, Texas, 2012 in Indianapolis, and 2013 in New Orleans.
Numbers
The 2008 Super Bowl in Glendale, Ariz., attracted about 91,200 visitors to the Glendale area for the game and related activities, and they spent $218 million during their stay, according to the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee. In 2007, the last time the game was in Miami, South Florida attracted 112,403 visitors who spent nearly $280 million.
How it is measured
The game’s attendance can be used to measure in-stadium ads, as well as ratings for ads that are picked up by TV cameras. Gauging impressions for campaigns outside the stadium is much tougher. If it's an event, such as a concert, attendance can be used, but for the rest the best gauge would be crowd estimates for the proximity of the particular venue.
What product categories do well
Frequent advertisers include auto, beverages, beer, telecommunications, auto parts, insurance, electronics, personal care products and snack foods.
Demographics
The average visitor to South Florida for Super Bowl XLI in 2007 had an annual household income of $222,318, according to the Super Bowl Host Committee, compared to a $40,000 to $80,000 average for visitors to the area throughout the rest of the year. Super Bowl visitors to the Miami area that year spent an average of $668.60 daily, compared to a $146 to $245 daily visitor average during the rest of the year.
In general, avid NFL fans are 69 percent male, according to Scarborough Research. Fourteen percent fall between ages 18-24, 18 percent between 25-34, 21 percent between 34-44, 19 percent between 45-54, 12 percent between 55-64 and 15 percent 65-plus.
Making the buy
Generally speaking, advertisers with a presence at and around the Super Bowl have pre-existing sponsorship relationships with the NFL. Each year the league lays out to sponsors the types of inventory that will be available during the buildup to the game and at the game itself, and sponsors select which areas and events they’d like a presence at.
Who’s at this season’s Super Bowl
Advertisers include Coors Light, Sprint, Motorola, Gatorade, Bridgestone, Pepsi, Mars, Reebok and Under Armour.
What they’re saying
“Every year we go back to partners and ask what they’re trying to accomplish, and then we give them a list of (advertising) assets available. The Super Bowl is America’s holiday--it’s everything to a lot of different people. Pepsi Smash is targeted to a youth entertainment crowd, kind of hitting that avid to casual fan. Coors is looking at the tailgating group. Community events are hitting families. We want to make it something everyone can appreciate.”–
Tracy Perlman, vice president of marketing and promotions at the NFL
Web site info
NFL
http://www.nfl.com
Super Bowl
http://www.superbowl.com
Pro Bowl
http://www.nfl.com/probowl
