Plays have been called, flags have been thrown and victories have been clinched throughout this pro and college football season, and amid all the action, brands have been looking to score points with the fans. From “sailgates” to luxury bathroom trailers to germ zones, here’s how sponsors played the field.
ALTEC LANSING
The industry is progressively making concerted efforts to support neurodiverse attendees through event touchpoints like tranquility lounges and sensory kits. While these elements have often been relegated to b-to-b events, audio electronics brand Altec Lansing is taking the strategy to the field. The football field, that is.
In September, the brand inked a new multiyear partnership with the Dallas Cowboys as the team’s Official Audio Partner. The deal includes sponsoring the sensory rooms at AT&T Stadium, spaces designed to be soothing atmospheres for those who experience challenges with sensory processing.
The Altec Lansing Sensory Rooms offer private air-conditioned spaces for attendees of all ages with special needs to use. Each room is equipped with sensory supplies, a carpeted floor, carpeted, wall-mounted equipment, and Altec’s Kid Safe 2-In-1 ANC noise-canceling headphones. To boot, a Guest Services team member will oversee the rooms to ensure fans have a private, calming experience.
CAPTAIN MORGAN
If you’re going sailing, you might as well get some booty. The treasure kind, that is. Oh yes, in September, Captain Morgan, the Official Spiced Rum of the NFL, revived its season-long “Follow the Captain” scavenger hunt for a second year. The campaign invited fans to find brand icons and QR codes hidden at bars, liquor stores, stadiums and on social to earn prizes.
To get the party started, Captain Morgan teamed up with NFL star Victor Cruz and hosted a “sailgate” aboard a ship in NYC’s Hudson River on Sept. 26. Attendees enjoyed craft cocktails, waterside views, onboard challenges that unlocked more surprises and a performance by rap star Aminé.
In other news, Canadian football buffs could attend viewing parties in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver at the start of the NFL season as part of The Huddle, presented by Captain Morgan, the third iteration of the fan experience. Agency: Narrative (The Huddle experience)
Photos: Courtesy of Captain Morgan
CHICA~CHIDA
Chica~Chida, a peanut butter agave spirit that launched in March, entered this year’s NFL season on a mission to reach new customers at two tailgates, with each event ultimately drawing more than 1,000 attendees.
On Sept.19, the brand partnered with Gotham City Crew, a New York Jets fan club, to kick off the Jets vs. New England Patriots home opener at MetLife Stadium. Then on Sept. 23, the company partnered with Gameday Hospitality Buffalo for the Buffalo Bills vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game to engage attendees at the organization’s all-inclusive tailgate experience. During each activation, attendees could play beer pong, snag Chica~Chida swag and other gifts, and enjoy complimentary shots of the spirit.
COCA-COLA
Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar partnered with Electronic Arts (EA) for the college football season as the exclusive CPG sponsor of the new EA SPORTS College Football 25 video game. Online, fans could visit a microsite to scan their Coke Zero Sugar product to unlock game rewards, but IRL, students at 14 partner campuses got to experience the Fan Work is Thirsty Work Tour.
As part of the college tour, students and fans could 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 also made stops at select pro football tailgates throughout the season. –J.C.A.
DOS EQUIS
Dos Equis hit the pavement in a tricked-out double-decker container to connect with college football fans at various tailgating events. The first stop was in September at Texas A&M, where attendees played a custom football-toss game, bellied up to a full-service bar and listened to a dj spin tracks from the upper level, which featured a branded canopy, among bold design elements. The roadshow continued on through Oklahoma, Arizona and California. Partners: Amplified Marketing (experiential); Lime Media (fabrication)
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 fall 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.
GIN & JUICE
Snoop Dogg and his ready-to-drink cocktail brand, Gin & Juice by Dre and Snoop, are poised for a groundbreaking effort in the college football space by becoming the title sponsor of the Arizona Bowl on Dec. 28 in Tucson. The move will mark the first time a spirits brand has sponsored an NCAA Bowl game.
The event, dubbed the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice, will feature teams from the Mountain West and Mid-American conferences and will also serve as a platform to promote Snoop’s new alcoholic beverage and youth football program (two very separate enterprises).
The goal? To use the rapper’s far-reaching influence and cultural relevance to elevate the event’s profile. The Bowl deal includes a “Snooper Bowl” tournament for youth football teams and various entertainment experiences, along with the promise of Snoop Dogg’s color commentary during the broadcast… with his mind on his money and his money on his mind.
GOODWIPES
We can’t explain it, but potty brands are having a moment and a recent iteration comes from Goodwipes and its new luxury toilet trailer, which parked at health and wellness event Runningman, then made its way to select NCAA Football tailgates with a branded “porta-palace.”
The strategy is quite relatable: Sports and tailgating are fun, but the bathroom situation at such events is most certainly not. So to change the way fans “go” and reinforce its mission to make cleanliness more accessible, Goodwipes brought its Golden Porta Potty experience to consumers around the U.S.
Each stall was sparkling clean, fully stocked with Goodwipes, adorned in gold inside and out, and brimming with playful messaging, like “Let’s Get This Potty Started.” The brand even hit the University of Georgia vs. Auburn University tailgate at the Tau Epsilon Phi… fraternity house. Brave.
HALLMARK
As part of its 15th annual Countdown to Christmas lineup, Hallmark released “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” on Nov. 30, but promotions for the movie began in early fall. At the Kansas City Chiefs’ opening game against the Ravens on Sept. 5, the brand 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 featured a festive photo op, free hot cocoa and surprises for fans; the “Star Cam,” Hallmark’s spin on the Kiss Cam, matched 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 scored a special Chiefs x Hallmark Channel-themed pennant as they walked into Arrowhead Stadium.
JAMESON
Several NFL games were played overseas this football season, but none of them took place in Ireland. And Jameson had something to say about that. On Sept. 6, the Irish whiskey brand fired up a rally bus and a partnership with former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman and parked outside NFL Headquarters in New York City to make some noise—and its case for bringing a pro football game to Dublin. The stunt served as the launch of Jameson’s Touchdown in Dublin campaign, which was brought to life in October with tailgating activations in Tampa Bay, FL, and Las Vegas.
“It was a cool collaboration, taking an earned [media] idea and really parlaying it to an experiential idea that’s going to drive national visibility and then tap down into the local between Florida, Texas and Las Vegas,” says Kim Haney, director-experiential at Pernod Ricard.
Read the full case study here. Partners: 160over90 (experiential); Lime Media (vehicle fabrication)
KING’S HAWAIIAN
King’s Hawaiian, known for its rolls and breads, on Sept. 12 launched the Snack House Tour to promote its new Soft Pretzel Bites product and grand entrance into the snack category. The kickoff event featured NFL legend and brand spokesperson Eli Manning who operated a custom King’s Hawaiian pretzel cart in NYC’s Flatiron Plaza, doling out free samples and shooting content.
Parked behind him was a branded Ford F-250 pickup truck with a larger-than-life Soft Pretzel Bites package fabricated on a grassy base on the cab. It will be hitting the road over the next eight months, pulling the 24-foot-long Snack House trailer to high-profile consumer events, including tailgates in Detroit, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. Read the full case study here. Partners: Entertainment3Sixty (lead agency); Lime Media (vehicle builds) –R.B.
LYSOL
If your post-pandemic brain has already forgotten key stats around how disease spreads—like the fact that shouting can produce up to 100,000 droplets in one minute—you’re not alone. So to remind sports fans that attending live experiences can put them at risk for catching and spreading illnesses, Lysol activated The Germ Zone at a University of Alabama football game on Oct. 26.
The Reckitt-owned brand set up shop in Champions Lane, the school’s pre-game fan fest area, and invited Crimson Tide fans into the booth for a karaoke session that had them belting out their team’s fight song. While participants sang, VR technology portrayed the virus and bacteria droplets being emitted around them. Then as the chants ended, Lysol Air Sanitizer digitally, and physically, killed 99.9 percent of the airborne virus droplets that were exhaled, while simultaneously eliminating odors in the air.
The brand also enlisted actor, producer and author Taye Diggs, who joined consumers at The Germ Zone to educate them on how the Air Sanitizer product is essential for both live football games and watch parties alike. The actor even curated a Germ Zone Essentials Pack, available online, featuring Lysol and other essentials for “hosting gameday without worry.” Buffalo wings not included.
NATURE’S OWN
Bread company Nature’s Own recently inked a new multiyear partnership with the Dallas Cowboys that encompasses a number of live experiences. Among them was a VIP tailgate party at AT&T Stadium on Sept. 22 for the matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, which featured bites and brews served up on behalf of Nature’s Own, along with photo ops and interactive games, prizes and brand swag.
NBCUNIVERSAL
NBCUniversal took a content-forward approach to fan engagement to kick off football season. In early September, 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
NINJA KITCHEN
Cookware and kitchen appliance brand Ninja Kitchen embarked on the first-ever College Tailgate Tour powered by Ninja on Oct. 5 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison game against Purdue University. The multicity tour was aimed at helping students, alumni and fans flex their fandom while getting their hands on its outdoor prepping, cooking, serving and cooling products.
Among highlights at the kickoff event: meeting and snapping photos with Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne; a Cook-off Challenge featuring the university’s Division 1 running team, The Running Rats; appearances by the school’s basketball players; a 360-degree photo op; a gameday menu consisting of Wisconsin favorites, like cheese curds, bratwurst and custard milkshakes; a chance to win the “ultimate Ninja tailgate experience,” chock-full of the brand’s products; classic tailgate games; and branded giveaways. Agency: Inspira Marketing
THE TAILGATE TOUR
The Tailgate Tour is billed as the largest and longest running fan experience in college sports. Now in its 25th year, the tour kicked off Aug. 31 at the University of Florida. From there, the experience was activated over 14 weeks, traveling to campuses around the country and offering fans a free pregame experience that showcased beverage, CPG, personal care and wireless brands through booths, photo ops, sampling and giveaways. Read the full case study here. Agency: NFuse 360 Marketing –J.C.A.
Photo credit: NFuse 360 Marketing
YOUTUBE
If you were a fan of “Punk’d,” you’ll appreciate YouTube’s 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.
