The big game is projected to have nearly 130 million viewers worldwide and with consumer spending around the game reaching over $17 billion. Read more to find out how you can benefit from marketing around the championship game.
Andrew Mancini
Blog Post
7 minute read
Jan 14, 2025
Every year in early February, hundreds of millions of viewers continue to tune in live to watch the NFL finale, or the big game. With such staggering viewership, it’s also the perfect opportunity for businesses of all sizes to launch a creative marketing or promotional campaign that takes advantage of the finale to the NFL season.
While ad time during the big game can be too pricey for many organizations, and was sold out by November anyway, modern marketing can help any business build an effective promotional campaign around the major sports event that bolsters brand awareness, expands market share, and generates sales.
The following tactics will help you fold an effective and engaging marketing campaign around the big game into your annual marketing strategy.
Why Is Big Game Marketing Advantageous for Businesses?
The big game is one of the most-watched and most-talked-about events every year. It regularly brings in hundreds of millions of viewers on television. And it is the host of the most expensive ad placements in the world with slots going for more than $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime.
At this price point, it may seem like an impossible dream for organizations operating on a smaller budget. But it’s not! Even though the headlines tend to emphasize the massive amount of TV viewership and the astronomical ad pricing, a huge portion of the game’s reach is digital, and therefore, accessible to anybody.
Using tools like social media and email, you can take advantage of big game mania by producing related content (like this blog!) or by inserting your brand into the conversation on social platforms.
5 Ways Stores are Capitalizing on Big Game Promotions: Ideas for 2025
In 2024, total spending around the big game surpassed $17.3 billion and we’re on track to see this number completely eclipsed in 2025, especially considering the sold out ads that went for $7 million per spot.
While corporations and conglomerates with the spending power will be hitting the pedal to the metal when it comes to ad time during the game, there are several ways that organizations with smaller marketing budgets can still carve out a piece of this $17 billion+ pie.
Each year there’s a slew of NFL drama that plays out in the playoffs as teams battle for their spot in the championship game. For example, Jayden Daniels cemented himself in history this year during the super-wild-card weekend, as the rookie quarterback led his team to a playoff victory for the first time in nearly two decades.
These historic moments create perfect opportunities for creative, unique, and engaging marketing campaigns. For instance, if your brand is just starting out, you could run a marketing campaign comparing your young-but-start-studded leadership to that of the Commanders being led by rookie sensation, Jayden Daniels.
2. Rely on Social
Social media is going to be critical for your marketing efforts around the championship game. Not only will social media help you promote your campaign before the big game, but it also allows you to engage with your audience during the game itself.
Some companies will use social to post bold predictions, create fun and engaging memes based on game results, or even provide simple commentary that creates conversation.
However you aim to use social to support big game campaigns, you’re going to want to have a solid plan in place prior to launch. Not only do you need a plan, but the best plans are built with some flexibility in mind as live events tend to be unpredictable.
With a strong plan in place, you can authentically add to the conversation around the game, engage with your audience, and build awareness. Not to mention, if you use social media effectively while the game is ongoing, you can generate additional customer loyalty through sports fandom and engagement.
3. Plan Themed Promotions
Whether it’s in-store or online, a championship game-themed promotion is a great way to get a slice of that $17.3 billion pie. During the time around the big game (and especially on the weekend of the game), people will be buying everything they need for their parties or events, including food, drinks, apparel, décor, and just about anything else you can imagine.
By running a specialized promotional campaign leading up to the big game, you can position your brand to benefit from this uptake in consumer spending, generate additional brand awareness, and ultimately improve your market share.
4. Form a Full Marketing Campaign Around the Game
There’s potentially a lot of money to be made during the finale of the NFL season. But you need to be organized to take full advantage. A day-of sale or promotion is nothing without a proper campaign backing it up. This means creating emails, publishing content, and posting on social media to promote your business and the associated campaign.
If you do have the budget to run an ad during the game, you’re going to garner a lot of attention and you don’t want all that effort, and money, to go to waste. By supporting your ad with a larger, full-scale promotional campaign you can fully capitalize on newly acquired customers and generate conversions that lead to a sustainable increase in market share.
This also means establishing a powerful and reliable IT infrastructure capable of handling a sudden massive influx in traffic.
For a full-fledged and strategic campaign around the big game, you need audience data, ad placements, email cadences, social media content, and much more. However, if you take the time to plan and invest the resources for a serious championship-game campaign, it might just be the one that takes your business to the next level.
Marketing around the big game isn’t just for gigantic companies that spend millions. It’s a unique one-of-a-kind marketing and advertising opportunity for brands of all shapes and sizes looking to make a splash at the top of the year.
5. Giveaways & Raffles
Another fantastic way that businesses capitalize on campaigns around the big game each February is in raffles and giveaways. These types of events, which require active consumer engagement, can excite your audience, drive additional sales and engagement, and leave your consumers with the hope of winning the big prize.
Depending on the scale of your budget, this could even include giving away tickets to the championship game itself. A prize like game tickets is sure to catch the attention of every NFL fan and can drum up an onslaught of new business for any organization.
Of course, tickets to the big game aren’t in everyone’s budget, so organizations can also opt for smaller prizes like branded merchandise or game-day packages full of goodies to be enjoyed during game time.
On top of that, brands can even create flash-sales based on in-game events, like scoring drives, or big defensive plays. All-in-all, businesses can create fantastic marketing opportunities with their audience through big game promotions and eye-catching giveaways.
Wrapping Up on Big Game Promos
The big game captivates millions of viewers every February. This colossal viewership provides an unparalleled platform for businesses to showcase their creativity through marketing and promotional campaigns.
The key lies in crafting an effective promotional campaign that extends beyond traditional advertising methods. By employing modern marketing tactics, businesses can amplify brand awareness, broaden market share, and drive sales during the big game fever.
As the world gathers around screens in troves to enjoy the big game, savvy marketers can seize this moment to make a powerful impression and elevate their brand for the foreseeable future.
To build effective campaigns and take advantage of big events, you need the best tools and tips. Download Impact’s guide, The Ultimate List of Marketing Resources to help you create successful, unique, and engaging campaigns.
Andrew Mancini
Content Writer
Andrew Mancini is a Content Writer for Impact and DOT Security’s in-house marketing team, where he plans content for both the Impact and DOT Security insights hubs, manages the publication schedule, drafts articles, Q&As, interview narratives, case studies, video scripts, and other content with SEO best practices. He is also the main contributor on a monthly cybersecurity news series, The DOT Report, researching stories, writing the script, and delivering the report on camera.
2. Rely on Social
Social media is going to be critical for your marketing efforts around the championship game. Not only will social media help you promote your campaign before the big game, but it also allows you to engage with your audience during the game itself.
Some companies will use social to post bold predictions, create fun and engaging memes based on game results, or even provide simple commentary that creates conversation.
However you aim to use social to support big game campaigns, you’re going to want to have a solid plan in place prior to launch. Not only do you need a plan, but the best plans are built with some flexibility in mind as live events tend to be unpredictable.
With a strong plan in place, you can authentically add to the conversation around the game, engage with your audience, and build awareness. Not to mention, if you use social media effectively while the game is ongoing, you can generate additional customer loyalty through sports fandom and engagement.