Last month, a 30-story Doritos chip tower towered over the Las Vegas Strip and occupied the façade of the Luxor Hotel. Additionally, other brands are placing their names and logos around the city, outside the Circle and at events like Gatorade's Super Bowl Opening Night, the Super Bowl presented by Toyota and Apple Music's Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Meanwhile, Mattel released a Super Bowl-themed Barbie doll, and a long list of companies are offering silly promotions and giveaways, including a Super Bowl night at the Marriott Courtyard that will give fans the chance to spend the night at a room at Allegiant Stadium. . . There's also Sunday, which will apparently feature a series of television shows that will cost approximately $7 million for a 30-second spot (not counting production budgets).
Whether it's the 125,000 people expected to attend fan events in Las Vegas this week or the 100 million who will watch on television, for marketers looking to connect with fans, the Super Bowl is truly their marketing season. Super Bowl. when brands are retired. everything stops to create a stir. However, behind the scenes there is an equally wide range of events and activities this week aimed at a more exclusive audience: business partners and senior executives. The goal is not only to increase brand awareness; is to retain key customers and ideally lay the foundation for new business.
"Major events like the Super Bowl have become the perfect intersection between corporate headquarters and industry conferences," said David M. Carter, a sports business consultant and assistant professor of management and organizations at Southern University. California. "Bringing everyone together in one place around the biggest event of the year has become a way for the sports business to come together and network."
Take, for example, a brand like Extreme Networks, which is among 35 current NFL sponsors showing up in Las Vegas this week. The typical consumer won't see an ad and suddenly purchase Extreme's large-scale wireless Internet solutions. But that's not the game plan.
“We're not necessarily a consumer brand, right? We're not worried about people seeing us that way," said John Brams, senior vice president of sales in the Americas for Extreme Networks, which is participating in Super Bowl 11 as a partner of the NFL. "The story we want to tell about our relationship with the NFL is that the NFL is the way they use our technology, and if the NFL uses it that way, we think it will be interesting for other industries that we work in, like secondary education. We can say, "Hey, if the NFL is using this technology in that way, do you think it's in your area? Could it be interesting?"
Additionally, Cisco, which is providing Wi-Fi at Allegiant Stadium, and Verizon, which will establish a "network operations center" about 12 miles away and provide a private network to support communications between coaches during games, also They will have the opportunity. using your technology to demonstrate it to potential partners. In some cases, brands can make appearances with the help of NFL executives participating in discussions, public relations events and private tours, said David Cohen, the league's senior director of sponsorship and partnership management.
The business-to-business mentality extends to consumer brands. TCL, the official television partner of the NFL, sponsors Super Bowl parties produced by Excel Sports Management and Michelob Ultra, which cater to influencers and VIPs. USA Today, which is not affiliated with the NFL but is one of several companies holding events in Las Vegas this week, hosts its annual Ad Meter Summit, a panel for top marketing executives.
And under the banner of "corporate hospitality," the brands have planned all types of trips for current and potential customers, including transportation, accommodations, dining and entertainment. Toyota, for example, welcomed a large group of dealers to Las Vegas this week. The effort could involve a few key executives (Brams says the Extreme contingent will be between 10 and 20), but it could also deploy several hundred people. Prices range from six figures to millions, depending on the type.
A company's Super Bowl itinerary may include a keynote speech or corporate presentation at NFL House, a members-only hospitality venue. But the programming begins with more networking, in more lavish ways, perhaps with a private jet flight or a cocktail hour at a luxury restaurant, followed by breakfast with a football hall of famer, a professional and a game set. "Last year we had 15 to 20 tunnel customers," said Deanna Forgione Carey, senior vice president of sales and corporate partnerships for On Location, the official hospitality provider of the NFL.
"It's not just about entertaining customers," he adds. "We build relationships to grow the business."
Tracking the performance of such investments can be more difficult than with more traditional consumer marketing. First of all, you can rarely close a deal on the spot. "It's a busy week with a lot of logistical commitments, so it's not a good time for quiet moments to have difficult conversations," said Kevin McSherry, executive vice president of strategy and solutions at marketing agency Allied Sports. "For most, these are efforts to build long-term relationships."
But companies are seeing measurable benefits, whether it's higher sales volume, customer retention rates or a more streamlined process for attracting new business. One company's potential target, Justin Zambuto, head of global partnerships at marketing agency 160over90, says: "If it would normally take a year to close a deal, we can influence that with some of these opportunities to shorten the sales cycle somewhat. as well as a year." is it a little short?
This benefit forces brands to spend more and more on B2B projects, even as they reduce spending on television and television advertising. Forgione Carey says On Location's all-inclusive hospitality packages are up 35% year over year, while the corporate segment is up 20%. The NFL is also clear about its value, increasing its stake in On Location from 13.5% to about 45% in December 2021, according to The Athletic .
"A generation ago, the sports business, let's say 10 or 20 years ago, B2B was secondary to these big events," Carter said. "Now it's the key."
It's no coincidence that these times coincided with the rise of the experience economy and the construction of comfortable stadiums that gave corporate hosts new tools in their toolbox. Michelle Roguso, senior vice president of experience and hospitality at CAA Brand Consulting, also sees a new emphasis on hospitality as the Covid pandemic subsides. "I think it's a result of the importance placed on physical interaction, the opportunity to celebrate and enjoy a shared passion," he says.
Another factor driving the reach of Super Bowl programming is competition between brands to differentiate their invitations, as they attract many of the same guests. And there is an element of FOMO. "Let's imagine that a Fortune 100 brand that actively sponsors sports decides not to participate in the Super Bowl for one reason or another," Carter says. "It's sure to attract attention."
Of course, a version of these marketing efforts can be found in other sporting events, whether they be regular-season NFL games, traditional B2B-oriented sports like golf or Formula 1, or the US Open tennis tournament. The week-long duration offers a good amount of premium experience. However, most of the industry places the Super Bowl first, or at least close to it. And playing in Las Vegas only raises the stakes.
McSherry points to the proximity of locations along the Strip compared to a major city like Los Angeles, which will host the Super Bowl in 2022. And "this market knows how to deliver," Roguso says. “As a brand, you don't enter a market where you have to create something from scratch. "In fact, you can use the existing infrastructure."
Regardless of how things go during Super Bowl week, don't expect these marketers to rest long after the final whistle.
"We typically take a week off and then start preparing for the next Super Bowl," says Scott Finlow, chief marketing officer for PepsiCo's global foodservice business.
