Your client at an NFL Draft party
How to connect with young, affluent male pro football fans
April 14, 2013
It’s less than two weeks until the NFL Draft, which runs April 25-27.
Pro football has a hugely desirable audience – young, male and affluent. While spots at the draft are too pricy for many advertisers, a less-expensive way to reach NFL fans is at draft parties hosted in each team’s home city.
The squads offer entertainment, food and fun activities for fans as they come to see which players will be drafted by their team.
Advertisers can set up booths and displays and interact with these passionate football fans.
To find out how to get your client at NFL Draft parties, read on.
This is one in a Media Life series on buying out-of-home venues. They appear weekly.
Fast Facts
What
Advertising sponsorship at NFL team draft parties.
Who
NFL teams organize official draft parties and handle advertising and sponsorship.
How it works
In recent years the NFL has done a good job of keeping fans engaged year round, and one of the most popular offseason events is the NFL Draft, where teams select college players to add to their rosters.
The draft has become so popular teams have begun hosting official draft parties in their home markets. Some events are free while others cost $10 to $15, still way cheaper than the average $78 for an NFL game ticket.
At the parties teams air TV coverage of the NFL Draft on big screens, and often the team’s local radio affiliate broadcasts live from the party. Many teams also add other elements to the event, such as introducing the cheerleaders for the upcoming season or revealing the team’s new uniforms.
Current and former players are also usually on hand to chat with fans and sign autographs.
As always with events, title or presenting sponsorship is the most visible piece of inventory. This will ensure the brand is included in any marketing leading up to the party, including on TV and radio.
While title sponsors are mainly large national brands, advertisers of any size can have a presence at the party with a booth or display to interact with fans.
A soft drink may distribute samples of its product, the local newspaper could distribute copies to drive subscriptions, or a local grocery store might sponsor an area where kids can test their football skills.
Markets
There are 32 NFL teams in 31 markets: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, Green Bay, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York (which has two teams), Oakland, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C.
Numbers
All 32 NFL teams hold official draft parties, with larger ones attracting between 5,000 and 10,000 fans.
The draft is a considerable TV draw. Last year’s first round averaged 8.1 million total viewers on ESPN and NFL Network, No. 2 all time behind 8.3 million in 2010.
How it is measured
Attendance figures at draft parties can be used, and brands can also track things such as the number of samples handed out.
What product categories work well
NFL Draft party sponsors include beer, telecom, auto, restaurants, local media outlets, financial, home improvement and soft drinks.
Demographics
Among adults who are interested in the NFL, 59 percent are male and 41 percent female, according to Scarborough Research.
Twelve percent are ages 18-24, 18 percent are 25-34, 20 percent are 35-44, 19 percent are 45-54, 15 percent are 55-64 and 16 percent are age 65 or older.
Sixty percent have an annual household income of $50,000 or more, with 41 percent at $75,000 or more, and 24 percent at $100,000 or more.
Making the buy
Title and presenting sponsorships are often one part of larger overall multi-million-dollar sponsorship deals with teams.
Smaller advertisers can get involved as late as a few days before the event, provided inventory is available. Pricing varies depending on the level of involvement, but can range from low thousands to five figures.
Who’s already been at NFL Draft parties
Recent brands that have sponsored and advertised at draft parties include Bud Light, Miller Lite, Buffalo Wild Wings, Verizon, Toro, Coors Light, TicketMaster, Pepsi, Toyota and the New York Daily News.
What they’re saying
“Draft parties are tribal gatherings for avid fans. The sponsors’ participation at such personalized events reinforce the commitment of the product to the fan to a likely buyer. Moreover, this type of exposure is increasingly scarce in an increasingly saturated media market.” – Irving Rein, professor of communication studies at Northwestern University and author of “The Elusive Fan: Reinventing Sports in a Crowded Marketplace”
Web site info
NFL
http://www.nfl.com/
NFL Draft
http://www.nfl.com/draft/
Dallas Cowboys
http://www.dallascowboys.com/fans/draft-party.html
Washington Redskins
http://www.redskins.com/news-and-events/article-1/Free-Draft-Day-Party-Coming-To-FedExField/ffd97139-d2bb-4f30-a667-c6a3700ac6d8
New York Jets
http://www.newyorkjets.com/schedule/draft-2013.html
Oakland Raiders
http://www.raiders.com/news/2013-Draft/article-1/Raiders-Official-Draft-Party/28e7de81-a05e-45ff-ba78-9ba58d2de229
Green Bay Packers
http://www.packers.com/news-and-events/article-1/Packers-2013-NFL-Draft-Party-to-be-held-Thursday-April-25/807ab79a-a01f-484d-b5a2-4dca5c91cc71
Denver Broncos
http://www.denverbroncos.com/schedule-and-events/draftparty.html
Jacksonville Jaguars
http://www.jaguars.com/fanzone/draft-party.html
Chicago Bears
http://www.chicagobears.com/events/draft-party/
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
http://web2.buccaneers.com/officialdraftparty/
Houston Texans
http://www.houstontexans.com/news/article-2/2013-Houston-Texans-Draft-Party-set-for-April-25/8eee533e-bd54-4265-9c25-f3601554b3be
Minnesota Vikings
https://www.signup4.net/public/ap.aspx?EID=VIKI10E&OID=50
Tags: nfl, nfl draft, nfl draft advertising, nfl draft party, nfl draft party advertising, out of home, out of home advertising
Related News
ABC’s ‘Scandal’ surges to record finale
Fox wins a Wednesday littered with reruns
Philly: Auto driving big TV dollars
Defining the big issues in digital video
A stunt that goes over the rainbow
‘Salem,’ this witches’ brew boils over
Tell us, what’s your forecast for the upfront?
Best tube bets this weekend
Tuesday cable overnights: Solid start for ‘Fargo’
NBCU: We’re ramping up digital content
‘Divorce Court’ up 24 percent this season
Pivot upfront: Four new shows on the way
ABC’s ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ grows in later timeslot
People
- Sarah Amatuzio becomes VP and creative director at Alcone
- Tim Nolan becomes group creative director at Huge
- Jonathan Kim rises to digital engineering director at Media Kitchen
- Anand Kini rises to EVP of strategy at NBCUniversal
- Meaghan B. Murphy becomes executive editor at Good Housekeeping
- Mary Jeanne Cavanagh becomes EVP of ad sales at BabyFirst
- Steve McEvoy becomes VP of advertising sales at PageScience
- Howard Schneider becomes Federal Reserve reporter at Reuters
- Former 'The View' co-hosts returning to honor Barbara Walters
- Brad Paisley guesting on CBS's 'Two and a Half Men'
- MSNBC personality Lawrence O'Donnell injured in car accident
This week’s cable ratings
This week’s broadcast ratings
This week’s top movies, songs and books
This week’s daypart ratings
This week’s younger viewer ratings
This month’s new media traffic data
Media planner/buyer opening in Des Moines
Media planner/buyer opening in Austin
Online media buyer position in Provo, Utah
Digital media planner/buyer job in Minneapolis
Senior media planner job in Dallas/Fort Worth