Long-established NFL alumni, including Ann Kirshner, who founded NFL.com, and former league licensing king Frank Vuono, were among those who years ago then-commissioner Paul Tagliabue made a deal with fantasy sports. He told me a long time ago that he couldn't complete a fantasy sports contract because he equated the contract with gambling.
At a time when NFL owners are investing in sports betting and the league is signing sponsorships with legal bookmakers, the NFL Championship is being held in Las Vegas. What major cultural changes will we be surprised at at the Super Bowl 30 years from now?
“On the third and 10th time, you can take the milk drinkers, but I'll take the whiskey drinkers every time.” — Packers WR Max McGeeIn 1967, he scored the first TD in Super Bowl history while suffering from a hangover.
Less than two years into his NFL career and four days before his first Super Bowl, 49ers' Brock Purdy, Iowa State's top QB in program history, takes on college football's HOFers Ed Bok and Troy It is no exaggeration to say that there is a possibility. Davis stands as the greatest Cyclone of all time, especially when it comes to his NFL resume.
How much will a Super Bowl win strengthen Purdy's resume as a commercial endorser? That's what the marketers at Range Sports, which represents Purdy on and off the field, are trying to infer. During Super Bowl week, Purdy produces content for FedEx, the NFL's longtime corporate sponsor, but the rest of the time he maintains a low commercial profile.
He acquired typical endemic items during his rookie season, including Adidas apparel, Fanatics memorabilia, and Panini trading cards. This season, an agreement was signed with the Bay Area Toyota Dealers Association, which was recently upgraded to a national agreement. This makes Purdy the first active NFL player to partner with Toyota's new NFL league sponsorship rights. To highlight Purdy's college career, this season also included the addition of an “ambassador” contract with John Deere.
Lowell Taub, Range's director of athlete marketing, described his approach with Purdy as “focused on the field and the credibility that significant on-field results bring.” Taub: “We missed a lot of opportunities that just didn't fit the brand at all. … He's 24 years old, has a great underdog story and has values that are comparable to an all-American brand.”
Range Sports head of football Kyle Strongin is Purdy's on-field representative. Mr. Strongin brought Mr. Purdy to the Range when Mr. Purdy joined the company in May 2023. Mr. Strongin and Mr. Taub work together on all things Purdy.
pursue irrelevance
Range Sports is owned by a media company with production capabilities, so since last year's playoffs, from the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft (commonly known as “Mr. Irrelevant”) to Purdy becoming a top prospect. There was a lot of interest in creating a way to track the growth of the world. Super Bowl winning QB. But while Renzi's agent was promoting Purdy's name and likeness, the script for the “Mr. Irrelevant'' film was an option even before Purdy was drafted.
David Rubenstein is the producer. He is also part of the group that has trademarked “Mr. “It's an extension of the Irrelevant films, but it's also independent.”
Are you surprised that no one has trademarked “Mr. Irrelevant”? Rubenstein was no different. So, the interesting question is, does “Mr. Irrelevant's” work make sense without his Purdy IP, or vice versa? “It's a universal feeling,” Rubenstein said. “Everyone has felt irrelevant at some point.”
I heard that the two sides held discussions. If the 49ers win on Sunday, this discussion will only accelerate. And if the Chiefs win, that issue may become irrelevant.
In keeping with Super Bowl Week, SponsorUnited Founder and CEO Bob Lynch shared some of the company's insights into a best-in-class data pricing model.
haves and have nots: The NFL increased sponsorship revenue by 15% over last season, but one-third of teams grew at half that rate (less than 7% year-over-year) and half at less than 10%. Win-loss percentage and playoff berth were not affected. The biggest drivers of growth have been competitive categories such as ticket sales and naming rights deals for premium venues that drive value and prices.
The relationship between the haves and have-nots is such that eight teams (Falcons, Rams, 49ers, Cowboys, Patriots, Raiders, Eagles, and Vikings) collectively generate $840 million in sponsorship revenue, or 37% of the total. This is further explained by data showing that Team sponsorship income. That figure is $455 million more than his bottom-quartile teams produced.
intensive spending: The top 10 sponsors at the NFL team level, including brands such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, AT&T, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, SeatGeek, Ticketmaster, Molson Coors, and Verizon, account for 22% of all sponsorship revenue. occupied. This group's annual NFL sponsorship spending averages about $50 million.
Telecom is the top: Sponsorships in this category had the highest average commitments with fees exceeding $2 million and average annual incremental support spending of approximately $5 million.
Cowboys maintain their off-field advantage: Five of the top 25 NFL team sponsorships belong to the Cowboys, including partnerships with AT&T, Blockchain.com, Ford, Keurig/Dr. Pepper, and Molson Coors.
Financial services slump: Although this remains a strong category, sponsorship revenue in 2023 declined slightly, to 11% from 12.2% two years ago. SponsorUnited points out that this means a 7% decline in his share of spending and shows a diversification of the category.
- Judging by the amount of flashy products from NFL licensees on the floor of the Las Vegas Convention Center for the annual licensing show, Taylor Swift is clearly licensing her name and likeness directly to the sport. Even without (or before?) it has become a catalyst for sports-licensed products. Licensee.
- The question of how to deal with the unique commercial cacophony of the Super Bowl is one of the most important questions for marketers. Las Vegas perfected the definition, analysis, and resale of marketing rights during the Rat Pack era. Breaking through that clutter during Super Bowl week can be almost as difficult as driving down the Strip on game day.
- Since first allowing networks to sell spots to sportsbooks during telecasts of games in 2021, the NFL has limited the category to one spot per quarter during the Super Bowl, plus halftime and pregame. SBJ's Bill King points out. FanDuel and BetMGM each bought him one in-game, and DraftKings bought one before the game. FanDuel will replay “Kick of Destiny” live with Rob Gronkowski in the window between the national anthem and the coin toss. Caesars and ESPN Bet, the only sportsbooks authorized by the league to advertise during televised games, have chosen not to do so.
- In an op-ed in this week's SBJ, Parity CEO Leela Srinivasan said, “The onus is primarily on brands to act as catalysts for change. “Will we diversify?'' he wrote. , F1, and baseball? Beyond the moral imperative, the potential for brands to derive greater benefits from diverse sports should be a compelling motivator. ”
- The WNBA and its Changemakers Collective, a group of six brands dedicated to empowering female athletes, have partnered with Voices in Sports to mentor and support more than 50,000 female students throughout the coming year. SBJ's Tom Friend reported that the company will provide content and financial services.
