NFL partner Gatorade commemorates almost forty years of working in the game through a season-long, multi-channel marketing initiative built around what the brand refers to as the ‘dunk celebration’: where sideline coolers of the PepsiCo owned sports drink are dumped on the heads of Super Bowl winning teams’ coaches.
The campaign was launched through a hero ‘Road To The Dunk’ commercial rolling out at the sart of the deason in September and featuring a team of star players – including JJ Watt, Trevor Lawrence, DK Metcalf, George Kittle, Jarvis Landry and Tua Tagovailoa – reflecting on the significance of the dunk.
First launched on 12 September, ‘NFL Road To The Dunk’ is described by the brand as “It’s always a journey to Greatness. A new NFL season is under way and the Road to the Dunk starts now.”
It's always a journey to Greatness. A new @NFL season is under way and the Road to the Dunk starts now pic.twitter.com/1tknC81vwV
— Gatorade (@Gatorade) September 12, 2021
The minute-long spearhead spot has already notched up 2m Twitter views in its first three weeks.
Another strand of the campaign saw Gatorade partner with the NFL’s official cap brand New Era to create a range of custom hats for each of the 32 league teams.
The Gatorade/New Era hats are being sold through Fanatics.com and include team logos and repeated patterns of the Gatorade lightning bolt logo on the side panels, along with the drink brand’s signature ‘G’ letter.
While Gatorade is also linking its NFL partnership to the world of gaming and eSport through a Snapchat endless runner game where players control a digital avatar and guide it around obstacles in order to win rewards.
Gatorade has also introducing a limited edition ‘End Zone Berry’ flavour at selected convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Circle K which feature a Snapchat code that opens the runner game when scanned.
Those who play the ‘Road to the Dunk’ game will be directed to a website offering the chance to enter to win one of the hats – linking the mobile component back to the merchandise.
Gatorade is also integrated several aspects of the campaign into EA’s Madden NFL game on mobile and consoles in a further bid to engage younger consumers.
The umbrella aim of this marketing push for Gatorade is to draw out the emotional connection fans have to such moments through a season-long NFL campaign that puts an emphasis on cross-channel gaming activations and custom products.
Comment:
The Gatorade Dunk has become an event staple: not just part of every Super Bowl, but something that occurs at sports events and celebrations across the country. It has now assumed a mass market status beyond football as it has become part of popular US culture and entertainment and is known about by those who aren’t even football fans.
The 2021/2 season campaign follows on from Gatorade’s January 2021 Madden NFL Mobile Experience initiative.
We’ve teamed up with @Gatorade on an all-new Madden NFL Mobile experience: Road To The Dunk! Advance through each round of the @NFL Playoffs every weekend leading up the big game to unlock the Super Bowl Dunk and an exclusive @Cantguardmike player item! pic.twitter.com/b1UDICA2ts
— Madden NFL Mobile (@EAMaddenMobile) January 9, 2021
The PepsiCo brand, which first signed as an NFL sponsor in 1983, joins other marketers in experimenting more with how branded games can complement other channels.
It comes at a time when parent PepsiCo continues to perform well with net sales rising 11.6% year-on-year to $20.19bn in the third quarter.
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