It may not be the land of Milk & Honey, but you’ll be hard pressed to even fathom a more ideal advertising scenario in today’s market than this bountiful land of Budweiser and Papa John’s.
Imagine a television program that consistently averages 10-20 million viewers per viewing – not once a week, but multiple times a weekend. The NFL does just that, with NBC averaging more than 20 million viewers per telecast in primetime, and Fox and CBS averaging in the high teens for their Sunday afternoon telecasts. In fact, eight out of the top ten primetime programs in 2010 were football games (and one Undercover Boss, which appeared immediately after the Super Bowl). And it’s not just the boys who are watching the action. In 2010, 33.6% of the NFL’s viewing audience was female. No wonder three of the major networks (FOX, CBS, and NBC) are on the verge of renewing their NFL contracts with rights fee increases of about 60% (that’s about $1 billion per network).
What’s most amazing about NFL programming isn’t even the viewership – it’s the fact that NFL games are virtually immune to DVR. The games play out live each week, making them truly “must-see” television, with little risk of skipping or fast-forwarding.
However, if there is one negative about The NFL, it would be that its huge numbers can often cause “Facebook-itis” amongst marketers. Whereas marketers must continue to remind themselves that Facebook doesn’t make sense for every brand just because 800 million potential consumers are there – the same holds true for advertising on the NFL. Remember The World’s Fastest Indian? Don’t worry; you’re not the only one. This film, starring Anthony Hopkins, told the life story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle. A preview for the film aired during the 2006 Super Bowl. The film grossed $5.13 million at the US box office. The 30-second commercial cost roughly $2.5 million to air during the game. Ouch.
No matter what, it’s always wise to research your audience. So before you jump onto the NFL bandwagon, make sure it’s going to be worth it.