H-E-B kicked off football season with a promotion that is playing out in stadium parking lots.The Texas supermarket operator has partnered with local sports teams for a “Tailgater of the Game” contest that invites fans to show off their tailgating skills and team pride to win prizes and “bragging rights.” Store representatives scope out parking lots before games to rate fans who deck out their tailgate sites and showcase H-E-B's private-label products in a creative way — thus providing some viral marketing for the chain. Promotional partners are Baylor University, Texas A&M University, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at San Antonio, the National Football League’s Houston Texans and even Major League Soccer’s Houston Dynamos. Promotions around each team have distinct windows and prizes, which span from “Tailgater of the Game” T-shirts and flags, to team-branded gear, to H-E-B gift cards in denominations ranging from $50 to $2,500.The effort gets plugs on H-E-B’s website and team sites; some of the latter link back to the retailer’s site.In stores, signs position H-E-B as “Tailgating Headquarters” and direct shoppers to heb.com/tailgate — the "Tailgater of the Game" site — for more information. The signs are affixed to endcaps showcasing PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay snacks and other products.