A spot featuring NFL Hall-of-Famers Peyton Manning and Emmitt Smith distributing a round of Bud Light to bar patrons proved 238% more likely to generate consumer engagement than the category average. That made it the second most effective alcohol ad of the NFL season, behind only Corona’s perennial palm-tree Christmas ad (404%).
At a time when spirits companies, including NFL sponsor Diageo and its Smirnoff and Captain Morgan spirits brands, are encroaching on beer’s football turf and league-backing E.J. Gallo’s Barefoot wine brand is posting double-digit gains among brewers, Bud Light could use some good news.
“There’s only so much that a single ad can do for a brand that’s got challenges,” Krim said. “They had the right idea of bringing it back to fans of football in a bar, but they still have a lot of challenges at the retail distributor level.”
3. The Taylor Swift Effect was an era
Whether she was in a box in New Jersey with Blake and Ryan enduring a game against the Jets, back in Kansas City swag surfin’ with fans, or on the field after the Super Bowl, Taylor Swift had NFL fans and advertisers following along as if it was the European leg of her tour.
After the big reveal of her relationship with the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, Chiefs games where she made an appearance were 14% more effective than a typical NFL regular season game. Granted, fans were 16% less engaged with those ads than they were during games when she didn’t show up, but brands saw a boost immediately.
Experian and Pfizer ads were 13% and 9% more effective, respectively, during the Chiefs games that Swift attended. Meanwhile, Kelce’s Pfizer (27%), DirecTV (24%), and Campbell’s (15%) ads were all more effective than those without him in them.
“She’s a phenomenon that transcends everything,” Krim said. “Will that storyline continue into the season? I think so. But she’s on tour, so I don’t know if she’ll have much time to go to any games.”