Labor Day is in the rearview mirror, and for many sports fans, that can only mean one thing: It’s football season. Naturally, brands are lining up to earn their attention at NFL and college games with tailgating tours, sponsorship activations and pop-up experiences. Read on for a sneak preview of the experiential programs taking over the gridiron this fall.
COCA-COLA
Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar is partnering with Electronic Arts (EA) this college football season as the exclusive CPG sponsor of the new EA SPORTS College Football 25 video game. Online, fans can visit a microsite to scan their Coke Zero Sugar product to unlock game rewards, but IRL, students at 14 partner campuses will get to experience the Fan Work is Thirsty Work Tour. As part of the college tour, students and fans will be able to play EA SPORTS College Football 25 for free and create their own custom Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar x EA SPORTS College Football 25 Ultimate Fan Cards. The tour will also make stops at select pro football tailgates throughout the season. –J.C.A.
DUKE’S MAYO
Mayonnaise was front and center on Sept. 7 during the Duke’s Mayo Classic, hosted at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC. There, the brand invited consumers attending the event’s pregame FanFest to celebrate their passion for college football through activations, food and performances. There was a little something for everyone with a Kids Zone, live music, food and beverages, partner activations, like an EA Sports College Football experience, a chance to sample Duke’s sauces, and live performances from college cheerleading squads.
FUNKO
Funko partnered with the NFL this football season to release “Pop! Yourself” collectibles that can be customized with apparel options available from 32 NFL teams. To celebrate the launch of the product, Funko hosted a pop-up activation and watch party during the Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens game on Sept. 5 in the Kansas City Power & Light District. There, inside the “Funko Funzone,” fans encountered a life-sized Funko collectible box installation that they could step into for photo ops, a range of games and prizes, plus the opportunity to build and personalize their own Pop! Yourself figurine digitally.
HALLMARK
The leaves haven’t fallen off the trees yet, but in true brand fashion, the Hallmark Channel only has Christmas on its mind. As part of its 15th annual Countdown to Christmas lineup, the brand will be releasing “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” on Nov. 30. So at the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening game against the Ravens on Sept. 5, Hallmark blanketed Arrowhead Stadium (where some of the movie was filmed) with promotions for the new flick, including holiday-themed LED screen animations, activations and giveaways.
Among experiential highlights: All season long, the Hallmark Branded Tailgate Activation Zone will feature a festive photo op, free hot cocoa and surprises for fans; the “Star Cam,” Hallmark’s spin on the Kiss Cam, will match fans in the crowd with their own Hallmark holiday movie superlatives (think: “Secret Hallmark Fan” and “Queen of Christmas”); and at a Gate Giveaway event on Nov. 29, fans will receive a special Chiefs x Hallmark Channel-themed pennant as they walk into Arrowhead Stadium.
JAMESON
A number of international NFL games will be played this year overseas, but none of them will take place in Ireland. And Jameson has something to say about that. On Sept. 6, the Irish whiskey maker launched its Touch Down in Dublin campaign and wheeled around New York City in a branded bus to rally consumers and drive awareness around the effort to bring an international game to Dublin.
Later that evening, the bus parked at Ulysses Irish Pub and became the centerpiece of an activation and watch party featuring swag, complimentary drinks and a chance to hang with former NFL player Julian Edelman. (Agency: 160over90)
Jameson will also be activating fan experiences on Oct. 21 at Tampa Tailgate and Oct. 27 at Las Vegas Tailgate. Read about the full campaign strategy here.
NATURE’S OWN
Bread company Nature’s Own recently inked a new multiyear partnership with the Dallas Cowboys that will encompass a number of live experiences. Among them is a VIP tailgate party at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 22 for the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, which will feature bites and brews served up on behalf of Nature’s Own, along with photo ops and interactive games, prizes and brand swag.
NBCUNIVERSAL
NBCUniversal is taking a content-forward approach to fan engagement to kick off football season. Last week, the network debuted its “Transcontinental Tailgate,” a social media campaign featuring seven content creators that traveled 10,000 miles over four days to attend three NFL games that took place on two continents. Phew.
“Saturday Night Live” star and Kansas City Chiefs fan Heidi Gardner, one of NBCU’s seven influencers, helped launch the program alongside the other creators on Sept. 5 at Arrowhead Stadium during the Chiefs’ opening game against the Baltimore Ravens. The next day, they caught the Packers vs. Eagles game in São Paulo, Brazil, and on Sept. 8, watched the Rams and the Lions face off in Detroit. All along the way, they were beaming out custom content to their combined 65-plus million followers.
Plus, in partnership with the NFL and its teams, NBC Sports provided the creators VIP access to stadiums, teams, mascots, cheerleaders and celebrity superfans, offering plenty of fuel for content capture. The influencers also competed in humorous challenges at each stadium, and participated in experiences unique to each city along the way.
Throughout the trip, “Access Hollywood’s” Scott Evans was on hand covering all facets of the journey and showcasing the creators’ personal experiences to TV viewers who may not have seen Transcontinental Tailgate content on social media. (Agency: Momentum Worldwide)
YOUTUBE
If you were a fan of “Punk’d,” you’ll appreciate YouTube’s recent stunt. To tout its standing as the exclusive home of NFL Sunday Ticket, the brand and its creator partners Haley Kalil and Joe Mele invited a series of unsuspecting football fans to an “open house” in Los Angeles that was lined with hidden cameras. The home looked typical from the outside, but the brand had attached a fake wall to the back of the house.
Upon arrival, participants were under the impression that they would be part of an NFL-themed survey while touring the house. In the entertainment room, they were encouraged to get a feel for the space by sitting on the couch. The “real estate agent” even handed them bowls of popcorn. Before long, a crew of football players and announcers literally burst through the walls, Kool-Aid-Man-style, eliciting plenty of shocked and share-worthy reactions from the consumers, from flailing limbs to screaming to flying popcorn kernels.
In the end, another surprise awaited: Former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe arrived and granted them free access to the NFL Sunday Ticket in exchange for their participation.
