By: Ray Chelstowski / Hilton Barbour
Sunday’s Super Bowl delivered on all fronts. Big rivalries.
Big plays. Big finishes. Exactly the type of classic showdown that will go down
in NFL mythology. Sunday had them all.
And what about that spectacular Halftime Show? A perfect
blend of old school rap and some unforgettable performers bringing that unique
California attitude. Snoop, Dre, Mary, 50 and Eminem had me smiling ear to ear
through it all.
One win that possibly snuck by all the obvious advertising
and marketing fanfare, was delivered by a cadre of forward-thinking loyalty
marketers.
Recognizing a unique opportunity to take the Super Bowl to
an entirely different level of experience, national and regional brands
leveraged consumer loyalty in meaningful and wonderfully creative ways.
These are just a few that caught our eye…
Caesars
Caesars Entertainment had already developed an expansive
endorsement of Peyton and Eli Manning’s weekly “Monday Night Football” companion show.
In the on-air ads that ran during the program Caesars pitched its loyalty program as the
differentiator, selling viewers on the idea that its sportsbook app could
deliver rewards to bettors that were difficult to find elsewhere, setting it
apart in a crowded field. Caesars knew it wanted Manning meet-and-greets as one
of those rewards, beginning with an attention-grabber connected to the Super
Bowl, where they’d be featured in a new 30-second spot. But it hadn’t landed on
exactly what form that should take. For Sunday’s Super Bowl they figured it
out. They had Peyton and Eli Manning
bring a version of their now famed ManningCast
to the stage in a ballroom at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where their insights
and humor could be on display for about 750 of the casino chain’s highest tier
of customers.
At other Caesars’ properties around the country, about
10,000 guests were invited to exclusive parties where they would have the
opportunity to watch the show piped in as a companion to the game, or listen to
it on Bluetooth headsets that their hosts provided.
Taco Bell
The restaurant chain made rapper Doja Cat the star of its
Super Bowl 2022 ad. “Doja Cat is not one to follow rules and that’s what has
made working with her so fun,” said Tracee Larocca, head of brand creative at
Taco Bell to AdWeek. “We are excited
to see the fan engagement play out through our spot on game day.”
The ad marks a major moment for the fast-food chain. It’s
celebrating its 60th anniversary, the 10-year commemoration of its slogan “Live
Más” and its first Super Bowl appearance after a five-year break.
“We felt like [the Super Bowl] was a great place for us to
celebrate that moment,” said Larocca. “And it’s time for us to really
reinvigorate what it means to ‘Live Más’ and bring an exciting narrative to our
fans around not only the advertising but through our own channels, loyalty
program and within our restaurants.”
Wings & Rings
Wings and Rings raised the bar for this year’s Big Game.
Members of their loyalty program “Buffalo Sauciety”, were able to win free
wings. All you had to do was sign up for the brand’s loyalty program before the
end of the game, through the Wings and Rings mobile app. When either team made,
missed, or attempted a field goal, every loyalty club member saw a credit for 5
free boneless wings in their account this morning.
“Typical Super Bowl promotions use the event as a contest to
offer rewards only to fans of the winning team, or promise something special if
the game takes a unique twist, but we’re always looking for ways to provide
wins for all of our guests. So we thought, ‘why not offer rewards for everyone,
regardless of who wins or how many points are scored,’” said Diane Matheson, VP
of Marketing for Wings and Rings.
Sam’s Club
Sam's Club capped off its game day VIP campaign with a $8
membership deal that's redeemable in club from Feb. 14, 2022, through Feb. 17,
2022.
The offer is available for new members and is based on where
the football was placed at the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter of the
game, just before the warehouse retailer's ad aired. An interesting integration
of TV spot and off-line loyalty program. The limited-time offer gives potential
new members a $37 savings.
"We work hard to win our members loyalty every day with
the strategy to treat them like VIPs, which you see reflected in our game day ad,"
said Ciara Anfield, Chief Member Officer, Sam's Club. "Our participation
in this year's game is giving us an opportunity to celebrate one of the many
perks of being a Sam's Club member while opening the door to invite others to
be part of the club with a membership offer that's hard to pass up."
Integrating loyalty programs into the biggest Sports – and advertising – event of the year is not an easy task. However, as shown in the examples above, the number and diversity of brands who did highlight that loyalty marketing has come of age.
Loyalty is no longer a fringe or secondary marketing
activity. For many big-name brands and organizations loyalty is THE game and
they came to Super Bowl Sunday intent on winning.
To us, that’s as sweet as Cooper Kupp’s winning touchdown on
Sunday.
ray.chelstowski@kognitiv.com
hilton.barbour@kognitiv.com
Comments
Post a Comment