Little Caesars deepens new NFL deal with TV spot, promotion

Dive Brief:

Little Caesars, in a press release, revealed details of its multi-year partnership with the NFL, including several partnerships, promotions and charitable giving initiatives. The company in June became the official pizza sponsor of the league.
The pizza chain partnered with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, who features in a TV spot created in partnership with creative agency McKinney. Little Caesars will also run a Pizza!Pizza! Pregame promotion that offers football-related prizes to fans when they order from the chain before games.
The mobile Little Caesars Love Kitchen will visit NFL cities throughout the year to serve pizzas to communities in need. The new partnership comes as the NFL has seen several major changes to its sponsorship roster.

Dive Insight:

Little Caesars in June took over from Pizza Hut and became the official pizza sponsor of the NFL. With just 10 days until the season kicks off, the pizza chain — which bills itself as the third largest in the world — has detailed the first elements of the multi-year partnership.

Central to the deal is a partnership with Los Angeles Rams star Matthew Stafford, who features in a 30-second spot that recreates training camp for the chain's staff and fans. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback’s commitment to winning mirrors the chain’s commitment to value, convenience and quality, Greg Hamilton, senior vice president of marketing at Little Caesars, said in the press release. The ad was created with McKinney, Little Caesar's agency of record since 2019.

The chain's new Pizza!Pizza! Pregame promotion kicks off on the first NFL regular season game day, Sept. 8, giving consumers a chance to win football- and pizza-related prizes and perks, including tickets to Super Bowl LVII. The promotion could encourage sales and help the chain build its cache of first-party consumer data. More details will be announced via the chain's social media channels and website.

In a purpose-driven element, the Little Caesars Love Kitchen will work with the league to serve pizza to communities in need timed to NFL events, with the two organizations making "significant monetary donations" to provide ongoing support and battle food insecurity. The first such activation will happen Sept. 7 in Los Angeles during the Rams' kickoff week activities.

This season will see the NFL team with several new brands after long-standing partners altered their deals with the league. Anheuser-Busch InBev will remain the official beer and hard seltzer sponsor of the NFL, but will no longer retain its Super Bowl alcohol advertising monopoly, allowing for competitors such as Molson Coors to advertise during the game for the first time in 33 years. Similarly, Pepsi will no longer sponsor the Super Bowl Halftime Show, but will remain a close partner with the league.