The Deafening Silence of NFL Sponsors
Sports sponsorship and the National Football League (NFL) have a real challenge.
There were a total of 49 ads aired during the #superbowl2023 representing 36 minutes of collective commercial broadcast time.
According to the Sports Business Journal, the NFL assembled a sponsorship roster totaling 40 Official Partners for the ’22-’23 season. Those sponsors each pay the NFL rights fees an estimated $40M — $250M annually.
Intellectual property usage — consisting of the rights to the NFL’s coveted name and logo — is routinely one of the more important benefits.
Here’s the kicker: A staggering 78% of all 40 NFL partners opted NOT to advertise during the nation’s biggest game. Of the 11 brands that did, however, ONLY 3 touted their partnership with the NFL by showcasing the brand’s logo next to the NFL shield.
So at the end of the day, only 7.5% of all sponsors of the NFL made the effort to advertise during the game and proudly integrate their NFL designation into their spots. It’s essential to note that collective rights fees paid into the NFL war chest this year totaled an estimated $1.8B.
There’s simply no justification for brands failing to maximize that costly yet special relationship with the NFL. Integrating what they’ve paid for into highly creative advertising that resonates with their target markets is an imperative.
Steve Feuerstein is a 30-year veteran of the sports marketing and sponsorship industry. A former rights owner of professional sports events, agent to athletes, and tri-state New York radio show host, Steve founded SportsBiz to develop 21st-Century solutions steeped in AI and machine learning previously unavailable to corporate sponsors.
SportsBiz develops dynamic software that serve sponsors of professional sports, collegiate sports, and eSports. The company has recently introduced a novel TV, Web, and Social Media valuation and recommendation solution. Additional soon-to-be-released solutions include Social Impact, Metaverse, BrandMatch, and Campaign Recommendation Engine. Learn more at SportsBiz.com.