How do you take 25 years of experience, package it up and then share a few key insights with others? I have dubbed my idea “Peter’s Playbook” - a series of some things I’ve learned on my journey navigating the sports, entertainment and lifestyle marketing industry. I hope you find Volume 1 below interesting!
Things have certainly shifted since our agency won a Global Clio award for our Under Armour Super Bowl work. Understanding consumer behavior changes from COVID, and in advance of this weekend’s NFL Playoffs, below are three (3) key considerations leading brands should incorporate into their Super Bowl campaign plans.
#1: Touchless, Frictionless, Safe Activation
There's no doubt all of us are hyper-aware of safety, and the safety of others around us. So, as brands prepare to activate around this year’s Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium, and consumer engagement ramps up, frictionless experiences leveraging the latest forms of technology can provide unique (& safe!) interaction.
Speaking of SoFi Stadium, here’s an example from our client Ball Corporation. We built and launched the Aluminum Charger this past season at Los Angeles Chargers games in SoFi Stadium, enabling fans to transform into an Aluminum Superhero through a safe, touchless, and socially-distant one-of-a-kind engagement.
#2: Home Remains the 24/7 Family (& Office!) Hub
Home is where the heart is, right? Well, home also remains where the office, gym, and morning commute are too!
Throughout the pandemic, marketers and brands have been challenged with reaching consumers in their new reimagined home ‘cocoon’. So, how do you bring to life activation within the environment where your target is spending the most time?
At The Strategic Agency, we’re all in on Augmented Reality and the adoption of this long time technology. It’s quickly morphed from something marketers viewed as a nice-to-have to a need-to-have. A great example is the work we did for Pepsi this past Fall centered around their Made For Football Watching Campaign. Check out how we helped NFL fans express their unapologetic joy for Football by cooking up game day recipes, in AR, with their favorite local NFL Player.
#3: Be Big & Innovative to Win the Day
(and give your brand a chance to break through the clutter)
If you love sports, and you’ve been fortunate enough to go to a Super Bowl, you know that it can be like being a kid in a candy store. It's a weeklong affair of football and hospitality dialed up to 100.
Yet, with so much going on, for brands, the cliché of trying to ‘cut through the noise’ rings true because not only do NFL partners have the most accessibility, but the Super Bowl seems to grow in size and scale year-after-year.
Thus, while us Marketers are always under the ROI and ROO microscope, when it comes to “winning” at the Super Bowl, you have to be big, bold, and brash. For example, check out this 32 flavor - 32 Team Themed Ice Cream Parlor we built for the re-launch of the Starter Jacket. What better way to re-launch a timeless piece of NFL history and apparel than with a timeless and nostalgic activity like going to an ice-cream shop? And when you invite celebrities and NFL icons to the event like Richard Sherman, Carl Banks, and Andre Reed, that’s really the cherry (and chocolate sprinkles) on top.
Are You Ready for Some Football?? I know I am. Enjoy the Playoffs.
