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What We’d Like To See This Season in the NFL
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Source: cleveland.com
Thirty. It has been exactly 30 Sundays since the last meaningful NFL game was played on February 7th, 2021. But fear not, the NFL returned last night with Thursday Night Football featuring the Cowboys and Buccaneers. With games finally being played after a long off-season here are some items, we’d like to see more of in the NFL this season.
1. The Typical Cheesy NFL Commercial
Only one game has been played at the time we write this, and I cannot tell you how many of the typical insurance, food, or streaming commercials, I’ve already seen! To make matters worse, we’re in Canada, so I can only imagine what Americans are being hit with on their local broadcasts. We’re all for players ‘getting that bag’, but at what cost? At times It’s apparent that major corporations forget that over-exposure is an issue too. Think back to last year’s Super Bowl, leading up to the game the big companies are already spewing out their commercials but come game time on February 7th, you’re already cringing at the sound of a commercial beginning because you’ve seen it so many times. How we’d change that going forward is to make these partnerships more experiential or story-based. For example, Progressive should make their commercial a reality. Host a Progressive x Mayfield garage sale outside of the stadium where you can buy actual things from Baker (possibly his own merch, always be plugging) and within this garage sale have interactive activities like crash dummies, a smashed corner, or whatever, else that would result in people making an insurance claim. This way fans are interacting with the partners’ product, you’re growing the athlete’s personal brand, AND dare I say it, potential consumers are having a positive engagement with your product/ service.
2. More Slime
I know we just covered that the NFL needs to cut out the cheesy stunts that they always perform in ads BUT we’re here for the slime. Look if you’re over 16 and you grew out of Nickelodeon, it’s not helping the street cred of the NFL but who cares. They aren’t doing it for us older people, they’re doing it to engage with the next generation of fans. What other league is doing this? None off the top of my head. Think back to when you were a kid, assuming you aren’t born in the 2000s and have grown up with a streaming, but when there were designated channels that you watch regardless of the show. For me, TVO kids & YTV were the big ones growing up, that’s all I’d watch. Now think about it, if YTV started playing curling but people were getting slimed, I’d be intrigued. Not only that but it builds my awareness and recognition for the sport. So, as time went on, I’d begin to build a connection with a team maybe even at a base level it is with the team that always caused the slime to drop (the team that scores the most). That’s how fandom starts and builds. I don’t have the exact stat with me but there was a study done and the logo of a team that is on a child’s hat at the age of 9, has over a 90% likelihood of becoming their team for life. Conclusion? Slime well spent.
3. Fan x Player Interaction
There are lots that can be said for this point, but I’ll try and keep it brief at three items: James Robinson. Fantasy Football and sports betting. First, James Robinson. I absolutely love what he did with his recent number change from 30 to 25. To ensure, fans do not have a negative sentiment and to show that he cares, he sent out a tweet telling fans if you have one of his number 30 jerseys to DM a picture of it the Jaguars and they’ll set up a time for James to sign your jersey, as a sign of appreciation. This is top-notch. It’s showing fans he appreciates them when they spend nearly $200 for his nameplate and that even though it’s an older jersey now, it still holds value. Second, Fantasy Football. The seasons have started, drafts have been made and bets amongst friends are being placed. In past years, you would hear of players bashing fantasy and saying they don’t care if you pick them on your team. WRONG MINDSET. This platform that the NFL has created, is an unreal engagement tool for fans to interact with their product, and buying into that can go a long way. Like James Robinson, show fans you care. Tell them drafting you won’t be a bad decision because regardless of fantasy players should be wanting to put up numbers so leverage that as both the fan and players’ objectives are aligned. Lastly, sports betting. I know there are still some grey areas, and it’s a big no-no for athletes to be involved in it. But a simple interaction that can go a long way, with the rise of legalized sports betting acknowledgment. Think about how simple it be for a player to quote tweet fans’ earnings, and say congrats on the win, I hope I win you more money this season, and don’t forget to bet on your favourite team. Pretty simple. Not too sure about the legal restrictions on all states or leagues but you get just.
With all of this said, these are just a couple of thoughts that we, the white whale mktg writers for The Sport Marketeer, have regarding the return of the NFL this season.
Published: September 10th, 2021 - Issue 7 of The Sport Marketeer