When it comes to sports, it’s not just about making the game a thrill for viewers to watch — it’s about making enough money for the brands who put it on. For top sports brands, major events such as the FIFA World Cup, the Super Bowl, and the Olympics aren’t just athletic competitions; they’re a gateway to golden opportunities in the world of marketing campaigns.
To ensure you hit your marketing campaign on the head and captivate an audience that resonates with millions across the world, you need to think about the full picture.
Your digital marketing strategy, no matter what kind of brand you are, can be leveled up by just taking a few pointers from these huge conglomerates. Whether you’re dealing with a bustling startup or steering an already famous brand, there still is plenty to learn about marketing – and who better than from the well-established household names that we all indulge in ourselves?
We’re going to investigate the digital marketing strategies of one of the biggest events of our time, and find out how this industry leader manages to leverage it to level up their engagement, visibility, and income. These strategies are out-of-the-box and have set the bar high for all that follow in the sports marketing industry, so let’s take a look.
NFL — The Super Bowl
While we understand that the Super Bowl brings decades of unprecedented fun for everyone, and the NFL could get away with next to no marketing and still have a great turnout — there’s no question that they put brilliant marketing tactics into play. The NFL overall leverages the massive viewership that they bring in year-on-year by selling premium advert slots to huge household names.
2024’s Super Bowl saw 20 million viewers globally, and they sold this promised viewership to brands like BMW, Dunkin’, and Uber Eats for a colossal fee of 7 million dollars per thirty seconds. We’ve seen some amazing ads come out of that kind of deal over the years. The commercials that are created become a pop culture phenomenon and generate a buzz around the games before they have even happened — which is a huge strategy put in place by the NFL.
Marketing strategies surrounding what to know about the Super Bowl come thick and fast and cover years of successful campaigns. Along with adverts, there are teaser campaigns, brand deals, sneak peeks, and many other activities in place to bring in a bigger audience when the day comes.
And it’s not just the NFL who make a quick buck, as the big brands buy into the NFL Super Bowl just because they’re promised this viewership — they’re all hoping for a return on their investment. Although we know that viewers certainly aren’t here for the adverts, the NFL gives back by offering a halftime show. Think Rihanna, Usher, or JLo and you’d certainly bring in a crowd from across the world, and a return on investment will follow.
But how can you leverage this idea into your marketing strategy?
Whether you’re a new brand or one that already has solid foundations, you can incorporate some of these strategies:
- Utilize major events: Find events relating to your target market and use them to your advantage. Use the event as an opportunity to launch a new marketing campaign that relates to your audience’s needs, so that you can capitalize on the attention that the events get.
- Create teaser campaigns: By creating a buzz before the launch of any new service or product, you should make teaser shoots to entice your audience. This creates engagement and interest in your brand, which is a skill that the NFL has perfected over the years.
- Strategic partnerships: Whether it be through influencers, brands, or individuals, you should align your brand with a partnership that suits your audience. By doing this, you can tap into new markets, enhance your image, and grow your marketing strategy at a lower cost.
- Unique offerings: You can enhance your customer engagement and the likability of the brand by providing new, exciting offerings. Through events, products, and even the content you produce, your strategy should incorporate practices that involve unique experiences.
This may be VIP access to special events if you’re a fashion brand, or limited-edition products that are becoming popular through trending styles — this will all differentiate you from the competitors in the market and make your brand more thrilling. - Quality content: Above all else, to ensure your marketing strategy is set up for success, you must take what the NFL does so well, and build your content calendar perfectly. Whether it’s through authentic and relevant blog content or the agreed content with your UGC schedule, your content must be of a high level for a high ROI.
Try incorporating trending sounds, interesting topics, and things that are going on in the world, and you’ll soon find that you’re boosting your visibility and making more sales.
Overall, utilizing top tips from industry leaders is a stepping stone in the right direction for your brand. Marketing is more competitive than ever, so make sure to do your research, plan ahead, and get your name out there in a unique way.
