Dive Brief:

• The NFL is partnering with Snap on a variety of activations around the Super Bowl, per details emailed to Marketing Dive, including three shows that will air on Snapchat Discover, Cameo stickers that can be used in the app and top plays from the season that will be posted in Spotlight.
• The league also teamed with Snap for a National World Lens inspired by its TV commercial that will air at halftime. A Snapcode to unlock the Lens will feature in the spot and across the NFL's social media. The league is also integrating Snap's Camera Kit into its One Pass app for the first time.
• The raft of activations comes as a handful of brands, including Verizon, Frito-Lay's Flamin' Hot Doritos and Cheetos, DraftKings, Nissan and Uber, are teaming with Snapchat for a variety of augmented reality (AR) activations around the Super Bowl.

Dive Insight:

NFL and Snapchat are looking to boost engagement during an event that is not only the biggest TV show of the year but also one that is increasingly tied to mobile devices. When it comes to sports, 87% of Snapchat users favor the photo messaging app over other apps, per Snap data shared with Marketing Dive, making it a key channel as the NFL and brands seek to reach second-screening consumers during the big game.

The NFL's activations touch every part of the Snapchat experience, with shows on Discover, Cameo stickers on a Super Bowl-themed Cameo story and top plays on Spotlight, the app's platform for user-generated content. The league is using Snap's technology to boost its own mobile offering, unlocking Snapchat AR experiences in the NFL One Pass app that allow users to see a virtual Lombardi Trophy, wear a team jersey or be featured in a Hollywood-themed Super Bowl movie poster.

U.S. Snapchat users played with Sponsored AR Lenses over 200 million times during last year's championship game, per statistics shared by Snap, an insight that could be driving brand activations this year powered by connected Lenses, Camera Kit integrations, Marker tech, machine learning and more.

Verizon partnered with Snapchat for a 5G Connected Lens that lets game attendees join an AR experience where they team up and battle other groups to take control of a giant virtual airship hovering above the field. To promote its Flamin' Hot Doritos and Cheetos products — which will come together in a gameday ad — Frito-Lay has sponsored the first-of-its-kind Snackable Screens lens that allows users to point their camera at Doritos or Cheetos snacks to reveal the dance video for ad star Megan Thee Stallion's new song "Flamin' Hottie." The video will only be available via the lens on Feb. 13 before heading to the brands' YouTube pages on Feb. 14.

On a day known for its TV ads, the NFL is looking to boost engagement around its halftime spot with a National World Lens that is unlocked via a Snapcode in the ad and on social. Similarly, DraftKings, Nissan and Uber will run AR lenses inspired by their big game spots.