The Super Bowl has big stakes for marketers and footballers alike. Every year, there’s an average of 100 million viewers sitting on the edge of their seats, cheering on their favorite teams. If you wish to utilize this opportunity to expand your customer base, increase sales, and secure loyal customers, you’ve got to get creative with your promotional marketing tactics.
Here are a few creative ideas for the ultimate Super Bowl showdown:
No sporting event can ever be complete without the blade flags, foam fingers, player cutouts, decals, jerseys, printed table covers, and more! If you want customers flocking to your establishment, your business needs to create a gametime setting fit for superfans.
Your storefront, salesfloor or dining area, and online presence need to reflect your Super Bowl promotion. Use vinyl banners to advertise upcoming events, specials, and gametime details to passersby. Alert your customers to giveaways, contests, and special Super Bowl events with Instagram story updates, landing page banners, and in-store signs and decals.
Food is a major fixture for any Super Bowl event. Just look up game day recipes and you’ll be flooded with inspiration. While most viewers prefer dining in the comforts of their home, several others flock to their local establishments to watch the game and socialize.
If your business is one of these destinations, you can get a leg up by curating limited edition custom menus for the Super Bowl. Think Philly cheesesteaks for when the Philadelphia Eagles are on, or lobster rolls and chowder to support the New England Patriots. Pick local favorites from both teams’ turfs and have customers vote on the best dish. It’s a great way to insert your brand into the Super Bowl conversations.
Don’t forget your customers who prefer to stay at home and enjoy the game. Whether you sell game day essentials ahead of the big event or own a food-based business, delivery incentives can make or break your Super Bowl sales and promotions.
Advertise convenient and fast delivery options to make your customers’ game day preparation a breeze. Focus on the value and convenience you bring to your clientele and showcase these benefits on brochures, banners, and your online ordering system.
The road to the Super Bowl is greater than a single game. Start your lead up to the main event with playoff promotions to maximize your full sales potential. Your promotions can become bigger as the games go on. For instance, you can offer 10% off for the first playoff games, 20% off for the next round, and so on.
Since this Super Bowl is the 56th one, you can get creative with pricing. For example, you can offer 56% off game day themed products or offer hot wings for $.56 a piece. Make sure that your marketing materials communicate all of your upcoming events and special offers so customers can participate in every promotion leading up to the grand football finale.
While restaurants and bars would be brimming at full capacity during the Super Bowl, other businesses can also capitalize on game day viewings. The best way to hop on the Super Bowl bandwagon is to host a special event. This strategy is particularly great for B2B brands who wish to do something special for their partners and top clients or community-centric businesses looking to expand their outreach.
Find a venue suitable for the big game and your estimated guest count. Book caterers and vendors to give your guests more ways to enjoy the event. You can even order custom commemorative t-shirts, glasses, and more to hand out to your guests upon arrival.
Contests and giveaways go hand in hand with the Super Bowl. Since the advent of social media, it has become easier and more cost-effective to plan such events virtually to gain increased visibility. For instance, Super Bowl LIV attracted 44M interactions across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! Therefore, engaging prospects through social media can be an excellent way to gain new followers and customers.
You can tailor virtual or in-person events to suit your brand. Clothing retailers, for example, can ask followers to share their Super Bowl outfits and then conduct polls to pick the best one. Similarly, grocery stores can host a giveaway of a Super Bowl hamper containing Super Bowl-themed staples. The key is to have customers engage with your business for their contest entries. This engagement can look like a social media tag, email newsletter sign up, or in store purchase.
While your primary focus for the Super Bowl promotions would be the game lovers, remember that there will always be people who aren’t into watching the Super Bowl. You can gear promotions towards this target market with Super Bowl alternative promotions, campaigns, and products.
Even if some people aren’t sports fans, you can connect all customers with community-centric initiatives. Have a local recreational football team in need of equipment? Offer discounts to customers who donate money or items like balls, cleats, and practice equipment to your local school or sports teams.
Find the top promotional initiatives that appeal to your target market and use physical and digital marketing strategies to attract customers to your game time events and specials. If you can reach the right customers and set your space up for the big day, you’ll score major points with your consumer base.