Are You Ready for Some Football?

NFL pre-season football is just about here – and fans are gearing up for the pre-game festivities, that parking lot ritual known as The Tailgate. There are some folks who prep for this event all week – or all year! Some have vans or trucks tricked out as a mobile, and very eye-catching shout out, to the owner’s favorite team, and in which are all the accoutrements for the pre-game tailgate. Others who bring food and beverages as they roam from party to party.

However, tailgating is no longer limited to football. It has expanded to pre-concert, and of course, any other team sport. Americans just like a darn good excuse to eat, drink and be merry. And they will enjoy doing so with logoed products.

When you think of the experience – and more importantly – when you translate it to your client, remember it is one of sheer enjoyment, and positivity.

Katharina Naciri of BamBams, LLC expresses,“Tailgating events are a great opportunity to show team support while having fun hanging out with your friends prior to a sports game. Knowing what team you support, fans start bonding over cheering for the same team. The bigger the crowd, the better the atmosphere and everyone wants to participate. Fans want to dress up using team colors and various noisemakers for support.”

Tailgating, observes Bernie DiMeo of Hot Sports Grills, is an outdoor party involving a large group of friends and others with common interests. It’s all about visiting, eating, drinking and pulling for the home team. Being next to the stadium where the favorite team plays adds to the excitement. “Often, especially at college football games, band members and cheerleaders join in the fun. The camaraderie among the fans discussing the team, the previous games and that day's game are all part of the excitement.”

Daniel Berkowitz of Picnic Plus agrees. It’s all about “fun, fun, fun! Gathering with friends, family and co-workers to support, cheer and create an atmosphere of camaraderie through competition. A tailgate now can not only be held in a stadium or ballfield parking lot but at someone’s home, and bars and restaurants are becoming tailgate destinations for those who don't have tickets.”

Right there, Berkowitz mentions a business sector ripe for creating tailgate promotions. Bars and restaurants can give away a host of football-themed or team-color products (obviously NFL team logos are licensed). Everything from cardboard coasters to after-dinner mints can be part of a fun campaign to pull in people to stay for the three-plus hours of the home game, if not a full day!

Other relevant businesses that may want to get into the tailgate season, says Berkowitz, include local teams, food and beverage companies, corporate and other businesses that provide special events for employees during the sport season, local television and radio stations, healthcare practices, and of course, auto dealers (auto brands remain one of the top advertisers during sports games.) “Remember, companies can also sponsor parking lot tailgate parties for employees and their families, and would desire logoed gear for this event. Also, local school booster club fundraisers would welcome logoed stadium seats, fleece blankets, cushions and more.”

BamBams, says Naciri, has an “abundance” of products that can be used for memorable tailgating events. The three most used products in this area, she points out, are scarves, noisemakers such as the company's FanFans or BamBams as well as car accessories, such as its car mirror socks or car flags.

She points out, “Scarves can be used for decoration pieces on anything like your car, your chair, or by simply wearing it when heading to the game. During the game, you wear them around your neck and when needed, wave it to cheer on your team. Noisemakers will drive the crowd while driving the opposite fans crazy. They are small enough to be carried inside the stadium but make up for their small size in noise. Fans love to decorate their cars to show team support while driving to the game, tailgating in front of their cars and heading back after a glorious victory, showing pride for their team. Nobody wants to go to a tailgating game without a jersey and the same goes for wearable accessories or decoration products.”

She adds that many end-users love BamBams' car mirror sock, which simply attaches to the outside of the car mirror. These were popular during last year's World Cup and the Coppa games this year, and are also used for many university or pro football games, “where tailgating is a must.”

Hot Sports Grills sells charcoal grills shaped as footballs, football helmets, baseballs, soccer balls, even beer/soda cans and liquor/soda bottles. These are used in a variety of ways, says DiMeo. Bud Light used its helmet shaped grill as the key element of in-store displays across the country. Buffalo Wild Wings hosted a sweepstakes that gave away football grills with its BWW logo to fans at its stores every NFL Sunday during the football season.

 “Local businesses that sell beer, soda, liquor, meat, bread products, snacks, lawn chairs, and coolers are at the top of the list of clients that are highly relevant for tailgating promotional campaigns,” DiMeo says. “A football grill with a Tito’s Vodka logo for example is a great way for Tito’s to get  its name in front of a key demographic. Same goes for a baseball grill with a Vienna Beef Hot Dogs logo at a baseball game.”

Picnic Plus has a wide range of upscale products for tailgating activities – from food totes (to keep certain dishes warm throughout the festivities) to tub coolers (who has a brewski-free tailgate?) to casserole carriers and tailgate tables. An excellent example of the latter is the company's Dolby Portable Table with bench seating. It features 600D reinforced polyester, two recessed drink holders, weighs less than 18 pounds, and can hold up to 250 pounds per bench seat (500 pounds total). The entire table and frame folds up easily and fits into its hands-free backpack carry bag.

And can any tailgating experience for football games be complete without the now-iconic imprintable huge foam “number-one” finger? This is the creation of Geral Fauss, founder of Spirit Industries, who dreamt it up and made the prototype for the high school he taught at in 1977. The offerings from Spirit Industries have expanded since then, and now include foam cowboy hats, flyers, beverage holders, spirit wavers, paws and claws, pop-up visors and much more.

So, are you ready to kick off the tailgating season?

CASE STUDY 

Bernie DiMeo of Hot Sports Grills: "One of the more clever promotions was done by Tito's Vodka. Tito's has a "Tito's Tailgating Trailer" that travels to college football games around the country. They do radio and print and online ads promoting where they will be next. They bought football grills with their logo; announced in their promotions that they would be giving them away and indeed did give them away every hour or so at their Tailgating Trailer.