Thanksgiving and Black Friday Football Broadcasts: Analyzing the Marketing Success
Retail ads during Amazon’s NFL Black Friday game scored big with viewers, 35% more effective in driving engagement compared to primetime averages, according to EDO's findings A marketing victory indeed!
Advertising revenue in the football industry continues to soar, with Super Bowl advertisements for the 2023 game fetching as much as $7 million. The NFL is not the only beneficiary, as college football has also seen a rise in popularity among consumers and marketers. Data from EDO, a TV outcomes company, revealed that retail ads aired during college football games over Thanksgiving weekend were 5% more likely to generate online engagement compared to the retail primetime average. This shows that Thanksgiving weekend and the football excitement around it present a significant opportunity for marketing, despite changing consumer habits during holiday shopping. Additionally, the first-ever NFL Black Friday game, which aired on Amazon Prime, was successful for advertisers, with consumers who saw a retail ad during the game being 35% more likely to engage compared to the retail primetime average.
This year, retail ads aired during Thanksgiving and Black Friday NFL games saw a 73% increase in online engagement compared to the retail primetime average. Additionally, viewers engaged with these ads 45% more than with ads appearing during the current NFL season.
73%
Increase in the likelihood consumers engage with retail ads aired during Thanksgiving and Black Friday NFL games this year compared to the retail primetime average.
45%
Retail ads aired during Thanksgiving and Black Friday NFL games saw a higher level of engagement compared to regular NFL season games. Laura Grover, senior vice president and head of client solutions at EDO, noted that the Black Friday game, which aired on Amazon, had particularly strong performance and ranked high on average. She also mentioned that across all advertisers, consumers were 58% more likely to engage with an ad on NFL on Amazon Prime during the Black Friday game compared to typical non-live sports primetime airing.
Touchdown for marketers
To gain deeper insights into advertising trends during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, EDO analyzed search activity and various other success metrics to identify the top performers during this period. The industries assessed included retail, automotive, and wireless providers.
Walmart's "Mean Girls" campaign for Black Friday was a major success, resulting in a 64.5-times increase in ad engagement compared to other holiday weekend advertisers. During Thanksgiving and Black Friday NFL broadcasts, Walmart had 11 airings, while Dick's Sporting Goods had eight. According to Grover, two of Walmart's ads were top-performing and promotion-focused during the weekend's NFL games.
"There was significant activity in college football over the weekend, with retail ads during highly anticipated match-ups driving 13% more online engagement than those run throughout the college football season so far, according to EDO. The Ohio State versus Michigan game stood out as the top performer, with consumers viewing this game 173% more likely to engage with brands compared to the average college football Saturday games on Thanksgiving weekend.
Grover noted, "When you think about college football, there's obviously a lot more games every weekend. It becomes very lineup-dependent, but they can be as impactful as an environment like the NFL."
Some brands have increased their investment in collegiate sports, such as Molson Coors and Bud Light expanding their marketing efforts in college football. Additionally, other industries are also trying to establish a connection with consumers within the sport. According to Grover, advertisers will pursue consumer engagement, with insurance brands already heavily involved, and more expected to follow suit.
