Dive Brief:

• The NFL has partnered with Gamefam to launch a gaming event timed to the Super Bowl that will take place across various Roblox spaces, according to information shared with Marketing Dive.
• The activation will center around Gamefam’s newly launched SpongeBob simulator and take consumers on a quest across several other of Gamefam’s Roblox spaces, including Super NFL Tycoon, TMNT Battle Tycoon, Twilight Daycare and Easy Obby.
• The experience will run from Feb. 2 to Feb. 19 and comes in advance of Nickelodeon’s family-friendly version of the Super Bowl on Nickelodeon, for which advertising inventory has already sold out.

Dive Insight:

The NFL is leveraging popular characters and young consumer interest around Roblox to hype up Super Bowl LVIII and its family-friendly simulcast on Nickelodeon. Advertising inventory for the simulcast has already sold out, with the SpongeBob-themed activation a way to engage with consumers in the lead up to and after the game.

Roblox has become a gathering place for Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers, with this consumer base spending an average of 130 minutes per day on the platform, which is more than the average time spent on TikTok (112 minutes per day) and YouTube (70 minutes per day), according to data shared with Marketing Dive. Currently, the platform has 70 million active users.

“As Roblox continues to scale, we’re seeing a tremendous opportunity to amplify the biggest IRL moments for Gen Z and Alpha. Building on our successful work with the NFL, we’re excited to super-charge our program by bringing one of the world’s biggest cultural touchpoints to a new audience on Roblox, with the goal of immersing the next generation of NFL fans in the craze of Super Bowl,” said Joe Ferencz, CEO and founder at Gamefam in a statement.

During the event, consumers will have the opportunity to interact with “SpongeBob SquarePants” characters as they complete challenges among multiple Roblox spaces, including Super NFL Tycoon. In order to make the activation possible, the NFL partnered with Gamefam and Paramount. Last Super Bowl, the NFL partnered with Paramount to launch the Saweetie Super Bowl Experience, marking the first official Super Bowl concert on the platform.

Correction: This article has been updated to accurately describe the companies which worked on the Saweetie Super Bowl Experience.