Amazon Reveals First Black Friday NFL Game Advertisers

Your Black Friday prep is already starting, thanks to Amazon.

Today, Amazon told Adweek that three companies, Columbia Sportswear, Bose and Carnival Cruises, would be advertising during the first-ever Black Friday NFL telecast, a program expected to give consumers a variety of targeted shopping opportunities all while watching the game.

In addition to the advertiser news, Danielle Carney, head of NFL ads at Amazon, told Adweek that there will be twice as many interactive video ads airing as compared to a typical Thursday Night Football game.

Interactive video ads were one of the big innovations that Amazon introduced for its second season of Thursday Night Football, and the company also shared early results.

According to Carney, interactive video ads with a remote clickable overlay result in nearly 20x more interactions, and convert better to advertising landing pages than ads featuring QR codes.

“We’re already seeing the impact. And so I think there’s a lot more to learn there and understand, but it makes total sense,” Carney said. “And this is where we really win with the NFL and Amazon, because we have the ability to close that loop for our partners, share those insights and go deeper.”

Carney said the company wants to reward fans with deals for tuning in to the free-to-watch Black Friday game, allowing them to add items to their carts without ever leaving the action, all while being respectful of traditional NFL watchers. And a variety of TV advertisers are getting involved.

“We’re seeing great adoption from CPG and grocery, some of the nontraditional NFL guys that you might see,” Carney said. “You’ll see a little of that sprinkled into Black Friday.”

In addition to interactive video ads, Amazon previously told Adweek it has taken steps to be even more adaptable with its ad formats for NFL games, including custom, same-day creative and audience-based ads, allowing advertisers to show different ads to different audiences in the same time slot.

The advertiser Love Story continues

Another area where the company will stay nimble is if Taylor Swift plans to attend the Week 6 Thursday Night Football matchup between rumored boo Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.

The Taylor Swift Effect, as it has been dubbed, has been a boon for NFL ratings and ad engagement ever since news of the possible romance between Swift and Kelce went public. And, regardless of whether Swift attends the game, Amazon will be ready for it.

“We’ve been seeing some pretty strong demand coming out of the upfront. When we look at a game like Kansas City, we already know that demand was strong prior to the Swift Effect,” Carney said. “But I’m sure once we get a little closer, we’ll start to see what we are planning.”

Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football has already received a boost in ratings in 2023, with the premiere between the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles averaging a 7.1 rating and 15.05 million viewers. But a visit from Swift could potentially take those ratings to new heights, so the company is keeping “close tabs” on the situation with partners and the NFL, according to Carney.

“We’re preparing just like everybody else did. There’s a lot of conversation around it for sure,” Carney said. “I am a Swiftie, and I’m an NFL fan, so for me it’s like the best of both worlds melding together.”