For categories like pharmaceuticals, where direct-to-consumer brand Hims & Hers saw 771% more engagement during the Super Bowl than the average big-game ad, the diversification of NFL broadcast, streaming, and cable options offers a unique opportunity.
“Traditionally, there’s been a lot of hesitance to pay higher rates to advertise a specific drug compound, because, in almost any case, you’re going to get a small fraction of the total population for whom that’s applicable,” Krim said. “Streaming introduces the opportunity for these big pharma companies, who have multiple compounds that can be targeted at different conditions, to buy a slot and target different folks.”
Star performances
Meanwhile, if brands are wondering what’s the best way to connect with those football audiences once you’ve landed an NFL ad, casting a football player or coach never hurts.
EDO found that ads featuring an NFL player that air during regular-season games are 13% more effective than NFL game ads that don’t—and that Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes aren’t going anywhere. Despite dropping the Super Bowl to the Eagles, Mahomes makes ads for Dick’s Sporting Goods, State Farm, Subway, and Adidas that are 21% more effective than the average NFL regular-season ad.
Kelce’s spots for Lowe’s, Pepsi, and Subway, meanwhile, are 37% more powerful than the standard alternative, while coach Andy Reid’s appearances for Snickers and State Farm are a whopping 67% more effective.
However, EDO noted that brands shouldn’t feel the need to limit the NFL gameday roster to the same vetted rotation of players. Taco Bell’s use of then-New York Jets wideout Davante Adams in an ad about putting a Taco Bell in his house (the “Cheaters Get No Chicken” spot) outpaced any other NFL athlete endorsement last year, proving 124% more effective than a typical regular season ad.
“Celebrities are here to stay when it comes to big-event advertising, and they are a key way to connect with fans, yet there’s a right way to do it,” Krim said. “You need authenticity with the connection to your brand and the creative idea being conveyed in the ad… [and] you do have to be careful about overexposure—we see just generally that the higher the frequency of an ad appearing in front of someone, the less effective it becomes over time.”