Sports and food a powerful combo play for big brands
Pairing together sports and food is not just for during a game, but has made its way to mobile marketing with Mars, Budweiser and AllRecipes among a growing list of marketers partnering with sports organizations such as NASCAR, WWE and others.
The concept of food and sports in marketing and advertising is a reflection of consumer behavior, and leveraging mobile gives legs to these efforts by increasing impulse buys and the depth of impression. With big brand partners such as Mars? Snickers and the WWE, Fox Sports? NASCAR and Allrecipes, and Budweiser?s Super Bowl recipes, sports and food are becoming more intermingled on social media and mobile.
?Mars is a leading sponsor in both the sports and entertainment industries, and we are thrilled that they understand the global scale of WrestleMania and the value that this event will bring to them and their consumers,? said John Brody, executive vice president of global sales and partnerships at WWE. ?We want to be associated with brands that see opportunities for growth and development within a partnership.?
?A new series of digital and social content featuring WWE Superstars and Divas including Roman Reigns, Paige, The Miz and Dolph Ziggler will launch today, as fans will see WWE Superstars and Divas face-off against the funnier side effects of hunger,? he said.
Food and sports
The Snickers and WWE partnership is bringing the chocolate brand?s Who Are You When Your Hungry campaign to social media and digital. Big names in WWE are sharing videos on YouTube and social media platforms, prompting users to enter its contest.
For instance, Paige from WWE and reality show Total Divas shared a video on her Twitter page in which she becomes a princess when she is hungry, far from her punk-like personality and style.
?Raw emotion reigns supreme in the WWE, so what better platform to showcase the dramatic, and funny, effects of hunger,? said Allison Miazga-Bedrick, director of Snickers Brand at Mars. ?WrestleMania is also a global entertainment icon watched by millions of fans around the world which enables us to share our ?You are Not You When You are Hungry? campaign to a massive, and captivated, audience.?
Participants can go to WWE.com/HugryForMania to enter for a chance to see WrestleMania 32 live for two. The platform integrates with Twitter and prompts users to follow Snickers and then tweet who they become when they are hungry with the hashtag #HungryForManiaSweepstakes and subscribe to Snickers? mailing list.
The page also features a variety of banner ads and advertising for NASCAR.
Brand partnerships
Budweiser also spiked brand awareness ahead of the Super Bowl by rolling out sponsored advertisements on Facebook featuring recipes for party snacks that consumers can make with the brand?s beer (see more).
?Many food purchases are based on impulse, and brands realize the importance of influencing consumer decisions at the point of purchase,? said David Naumann, director of marketing at Boston Retail Partners. ?Mobile marketing is the best tool to reach consumers and influence their purchases when it matters most.
?Cross-branding and cross-marketing has been a common practice for many years,? Mr. Naumann said. ?The recent nuance is that now cross-branding campaigns must be mobile-friendly.
?Consumers expect to consume information whenever and wherever they want it and that means it must be easily viewed on a mobile device. With the explosion of smartphones, the majority of online usage now happens on mobile devices. Most consumers are always connected and rely on their phones for everything; therefore, mobile marketing is now imperative to the success of every marketing campaign.?
