Ford & Uber Offer NFL Fans An Official F-Series ‘Tough Ticket Tailgating Truck’ Game Package

Ford has a long heritage of partnering with the NFL: not only was the brand a long-running auto sponsor, but the Ford family also owned the Detroit Lions team (which has played in a stadium named Ford Field since 1963).

The cost of the new Ford/NFL partnership hasn’t yet been officially disclosed: but big brand deals with the league regularly include eye-watering rights fees (for example, AB InBev’s official Bud Light beer sponsorship is reported to be worth $1.4bn in a partnership that runs through to the 2022 Super Bowl.

Interestingly, Ford wasn’t the only automaker to agree an NFL sponsorship deal.

The league has split the official car and truck categories and last year signed a reported $50m annual, four-year deal with Hyundai that saw the Korean brand replace GM as the official car of the NFL.

Hyundai only sells cars, crossovers and SUVs – it does not sell trucks so the category split and Ford deal isn’t directly threatening.

A Hyundai spokesman said the automaker has known there would be a truck sponsor since day one.

‘Like Hyundai, Ford recognizes the value in being an NFL sponsor and reaching the millions of passionate fans who are gearing up for the start of the season tomorrow,’ commented a Hyundai spokesperson on the Ford deal.

‘We are extremely pleased with how our sponsorship has unfolded so far and have some exciting plans for year two. As the official car, SUV and luxury car of the NFL, we have exclusivity in the categories where Hyundai sells vehicles.’

This isn’t the first category split in the NFL sponsorship landscape: another example of the tactic came this year when the Los Angeles Rams franchise carved up its beer partnership category by signing a deal that saw Corona become its ‘official imported beer’, while Bud Light remains the team’s ‘domestic beer’ sponsor.

Continuing on from where it left off activating last season – which saw Hyundai run campaigns such as it NFL sponsorship launch ‘Because Football’ spots (see case study) and ‘Draft Day 2031’ (see case study), Hyundai’s new 2016/17 season activation focuses on ‘giving NFL fans a better experience from kickoff’ and its 2016 campaign began with an ‘NFL Kickoff Concert’ (in Denver – who host the opening game as Super Bowl champions) and two new TV spots.

Running under the #BecauseFootball hashtag, one spot sees an Elantra owning Miami Dolphins fan going to extreme lengths to show his commitment to the team,

while a Santa Fe ad takes the same theme with a  Pittsburgh Steelers supporter crazy commitment story.

We also like the brand’s current football-theme, but not directly NFL sponsorship specific Tundra commercial focusing on referees, respect and fair play.

‘At Hyundai, just like the players and teams of the NFL, we are in the constant pursuit of better – from our vehicles, all the way through the shopping and ownership experience,’ said Hyundai Motor America CMO Dean Evans.

‘We are excited to start our second year as an NFL sponsor with the 2016 NFL Kickoff Presented by Hyundai, providing fans exclusive access to NFL Legends and exciting, top-notch entertainment to celebrate the start of the season. Our creative and social media campaigns will help bring fans closer to the game they love.’