Seasonal Store Check: Super Bowl 2010

PepsiCo dominated the food-drug-mass market in January as activation of its official Super Bowl sponsorship gained an overwhelming presence in stores leading up to the Feb. 7 National Football League championship.Large spectaculars, endcaps and other displays for the company's Frito-Lay snacks and Pepsi-Cola beverages were placed in virtually every supermarket, mass merchant, drugstore, warehouse club, c-store and dollar store visited by the Institute last month.The official sponsorship, which lets PepsiCo incorporate the Super Bowl logo and other licensed images into its P-O-P graphics, has proved to be a winning tactic for a company whose brand portfolio boasts scores of party-friendly products. Of course, PepsiCo's typical strengths -- a strong direct-store delivery network and a list of leading brands with high sales volumes -- is a major factor in its annual success.It may be noteworthy, however, that PepsiCo's in-store presence seemed to be even more ubiquitous in 2010, after its Pepsi-Cola division generated trade headlines by opting out of running TV spots during the game's broadcast for the first time in years. (Frito-Lay did run four ads for Doritos.)This year's theme was "Party Like the Pros," which was illustrated through the use of three NFL players and their wives -- the Carolina Panthers' Jake and Keri Delhomme, the Minnesota Vikings' Chad and Jenni Greenway, and the Dallas Cowboys' DeMarcus and Taniqua Ware -- on spectacular headers and other P-O-P materials. That gave the campaign a decidedly less deal-focused flavor than it has had in recent years. (See Related Articles.)The in-store kit also included pole toppers, cooler clings, floor mats, inflatables, standees and banners. The overall campaign featured a dedicated website offering a countdown clock and party planning tips, as well as live chats with some of the endorsers. PepsiCo also teamed with fellow Super Bowl sponsor MillerCoors to stage co-promotions at some locations offering rebates on bulk purchases.Account-specific activity at a variety of retailers again was a key component of PepsiCo's campaign. Among the programs: Delhaize America's Food Lion hosted a live chat with Keri Delhomme via www.partyliketheproscom on Jan. 27. The chain's website linked to the promotional site, where recipes and shopping lists included both PepsiCo's brands and private-label Home 360 paper goods. Meijer hosted a sweepstakes awarding three pairs of tickets to the 2011 Super Bowl in Arlington, TX. Publix dangled $5 off a deli platter with purchase of $10 in Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Gatorade or Stacy's products, and also borrowed from PepsiCo's status to use the Super Bowl logo in circular features for its bakery and deli departments. Kroger's Fry's promoted a sweeps awarding 10 grand prizes of Osram Sylvania TVs. Entry was automatic with VIP loyalty card purchase of Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Gatorade or Propel SKUs, along with Coors or Coors Light products. Ahold USA's Stop & Shop staged a three-day promotion over Super Bowl weekend offering two free bags of Frito-Lay snacks with purchase of four Pepsi 12-packs and two jars of Tostitos salsa. A variety of account-specific signs supported. Walgreens offered $10 in Register Rewards with purchase of $20 in participating products, supporting with account-specific signage and three weeks of circular features. CVS/pharmacy promised $10 in Extra Bucks to ExtraCare cardholders who bought $20 in participating products from Jan. 17-30. BJ's Wholesale Club dedicated upfront space to massive spectaculars of Frito-Lay products adorned with "Party Like the Pros" graphics and, in at least one store, built around a large-screen TV playing highlights from the 2009-10 NFL season. Dollar General offered $2 off the purchase of two Pepsi two-liter bottles and two Lay's or Doritos chip packages. In-store "Snack Zone" channel strips used the NFL and Super Bowl logos to identify Frito-Lay products. Raley's hosted a sweeps from Dec. 28, 2009 to Jan. 26 that awarded a grand-prize $1,000 store gift certificate and a high-definition TV. Fifty runners-up received Pepsi/NFL hats. (The Pepsi Bottling Group presented the promotion.) Supervalu's Albertsons offered $5 in instant savings with $20 purchase of Pepsi/Frito-Lay products from Feb. 3-9. ShopRite offered two free bags of Doritos, Tostitos or Rold Gold with purchase of four Pepsi 12-packs in multiple "Big Game Savings" features. C-store chains including 7-Eleven, Circle K and Speedway SuperAmerica received cooler clings with coupon tearpads to promote an offer for a free bag of Doritos with purchase of two 20-ounce Pepsi products. On a more negative note, PepsiCo's widespread dominance was abetted by a relative shortage of noteworthy marketing and merchandising activity otherwise.RETAILERSSupermarketsSupervalu put a seasonal spin on its ongoing marketing theme through a "Game Day list for less" campaign highlighting party-related products in circulars and at the shelf.Safeway offered a "Football Meal Deal" consisting of private-label Signature Cafe pizza and chicken wings and a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola. (See "Safeway Field Report: Feb. 10, 2010" in Related Articles.)Ahold USA's Giant-Carlisle also reworked its standard value message to offer "Gigantic Game Savings," and spotlighted such game-day fare such as chicken wing platters available for pre-order and immediate purchase on Feb. 7. Circular features and in-store booklets supported. Sister chains Giant-Landover and Stop & Shop dangled $5 off at checkout to loyalty cardholders who bought $20 in select Kraft products, including DiGiorno, Maxwell House, Philadelphia, Breakstone's, Velveeta and Oscar Mayer. The offer was promoted in circular features containing a "kick off your game day party" message.Online, the two chains promoted deli orders and provided recipes for dishes such as "cheesy football" using various Kraft brands, including Oscar Mayer, Planters, Philadelphia, Ritz and Kraft. Other recipes named McCormick & Co. seasonings and assorted private-label products. Stop & Shop also sampled "game day party favorites" near store entrances on Feb. 6-7.Delhaize's Hannaford conducted a bevy of events under a "Football Frenzy" theme.Whole Foods used a "Get in the Game" theme on ceiling signs and aisle violators that promoted party platters for $19.99 and product categories such as "cold beer" and "party fare."H-E-B again ran regional spots during CBS's coverage of the game. (See "H-E-B airs Super Ad" in Related Articles.) This year's two ads featured, respectively, Houston division president Scott McClelland and child actors pushing the chain's price- and Texas-focused messages. Visitors to H-E-B's website were given sneak previews of the spots before Feb. 7. The site also offered instructions for holding a "Game Day Appetizer Party," providing snack recipes and spotlighting private-label Hill Country Fare products, Wilton decorations and Kraft's Wheat Thins and Planters. Circular features invited shoppers to "Get Your Game On For Less" by earning $31 in private-label products with purchase of an outdoor grill for $89.97.Aside from the aforementioned PepsiCo offer, ShopRite focused primarily on perimeter-department offerings. Hallmark provided shippers for paper dinnerware that leveraged the brand's status as an official Super Bowl sponsor.Winn-Dixie touted its status as "Official Supermarket of the New Orleans Saints," this year's Super Bowl winner. Circular features offered "big game" party needs and a recipe for "Ro-tel famous queso" using the ConAgra brand's tomatoes and Kraft's Velveeta.Tesco's Fresh & Easy, which largely has been uninterested in vendor-supplied promotions since its 2007 launch, carried account-specific signs touting Bud Bowl.Kroger ran a company-wide "Big-Game Greats" offer that delivered $5 off at checkout with loyalty-card purchases of 10 participating items, supporting with shelf tags and circular features. Some stores offered five free "Game Day Fixin's" private-label products with purchase of a crock pot valued at $19.99 or greater.In the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston markets, competitors Kroger, Albertsons and Safeway's Tom Thumb all participated in the nonprofit Souper Bowl of Caring, which raises money near Super Bowl weekend for charities selected by participating churches, schools and businesses. Shoppers bought pre-packed grocery bags or donated cash at checkout. Banners and stanchion signs at Kroger stores supported. (See Images at right.)Mass MerchantsTarget entered relatively uncharted territory by merging its promotions for Super Bowl and Valentine's Day in a "Super Love Sender" program on its Facebook page. The chain's "fans" could send customized video cards and vote for one of five charities to receive a $1 million donation for educational programs. (The choices were Kids in Need, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, The Salvation Army, United Through Reading and The United Way.) Participants earned one vote for each card sent from Jan. 31 to Feb. 14. The program was sponsored by Pepsi, Frito-Lay's Tostitos, Mars Inc.'s M&M's and Dove, and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox. Circular features supported.The mass merchant also tweaked its ongoing price campaign by using football graphics alongside such phrases as "Score big savings" and "Tackle tasty deals" on endcap headers and other signs. Circular features supported.Walmart reprised its annual "Game Time" platform, this year adding promotional spots on Smart Network endcap screens to the proceedings. The retailer also operated a Frito-Lay-sponsored microsite and promoted a game-day menu spotlighting national and private-label brands. (See "Walmart Field Report: Feb. 4, 2010" in Related Articles.)Meijer teamed with Kraft Foods, which provided seasonal graphics for its long-term "Dining In Makes $ense" endcaps and offered free products with purchase of a private-label serving tray. In Indiana stores, the chain used ceiling banners to tout its status as the "Official Supercenter of Our Indianapolis Colts," the team that lost to the Saints.Kmart adopted a "Football Frenzy" theme, using violators and endcap headers to merchandise assorted snack foods and beverages. (See "Kmart Field Report: Jan. 28, 2010" in Related Articles.)Dollar StoresDollar General also presented information about "Big Game Celebrations on a Small Budget" on its website in January.Family Dollar offered recipes and coupons to "Satisfy your game day hunger" in its Family Saving email to registered customers.Warehouse ClubsSam's Club staged "Fan Favorites" sampling events on Jan. 30-31 sponsored by Tyson Foods, Kraft, Rich Products Corp. and other vendors. Online, the warehouse club operated a "Big Game" microsite with a daily countdown meter, manufacturer-sponsored activities and other promotions. A radio spot invited consumers who were hosting parties to stock up at the club.BJ's Wholesale in January issued two press releases highlighting "food and entertaining ideas for the big game."DrugstoresCVS also offered $10 in Extra Bucks with purchase of $25 in participating Procter & Gamble or Coca-Cola products from Jan. 31-Feb. 6.Other ChannelsBest Buy centered its activity on promotions for large-screen TV brands including Samsung, Panasonic, LG, Toshiba and private-labels Insignia and Dynex. Circular features leveraged Samsung's official NFL sponsorship.Sears staged an "Ultimate Football Experience" featuring a variety of online promotions. Circular features directed consumers to a microsite that let them vote on their favorite TV spot starring NFL player Brett Favre and enter a "Meet Your Match for the Ultimate Football Experience" sweeps awarding a grand-prize $1,500 Sears Home Electronics gift card. Seven other winners got $500 cards. Entry was online from Jan. 3 to Feb. 7.The Sports Authority's website plugged NFL Fan Shop apparel for the Colts and Saints.MANUFACTURERSThe official beer sponsor of the NFL and Super Bowl, MillerCoors' Coors Light employed official imagery on a variety of P-O-P signage, some of which promoted a two-stage sweeps that served as the brand's campaign centerpiece. On-pack codes provided entry (online or via text-message) from Dec. 26 to Feb. 7, with submissions through Jan. 3 used in a drawing awarding tickets to this year's game, and submissions afterward earning a chance at tickets to the 2011 contest. First-prize winners got tickets to the NFL's 2010 or 2011 Pro Bowl game; additional prizes included flat-screen TVs, illuminated Coors Light Super Bowl XLIV signs, and other branded memorabilia.As an additional hook for on-premise events leading up to the game, Coors Light launched an iPhone app (from Chicago-based Fullhouse) that let bar patrons play a game they could later download for free at the iTunes store.The brand also conducted joint promotions with PepsiCo that dangled a $15 rebate on the purchase of $30 in Coors, PepsiCo and private-label deli products and paper goods. (In states that prohibit the cross-promotion of beer, the offer was $10 back on a $30 buy).Kraft executed a "Game Day Greats" theme around a sweeps awarding a $44,000 "home makeover" (priced to match the 44th Super Bowl), promoting on floorstands, standees, violators, shelf talkers and floor clings that emphasized the Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuit and Planters brands. Violators carried recipes and directed shoppers to a promotional website for more ideas. A corresponding instant-win game gave away five high-def TVs , 20 cookware sets, 50 $100 cash prizes, 20 serving platters and 1,000 football jerseys. Running Jan. 4 through Feb. 8, the program earned Kraft its typical strong seasonal placement.Mars Inc. activated its official Super Bowl sponsorship in a "Be on the Field" instant-win game awarding a trip for four to the 2011 Super Bowl and a chance to celebrate on the field after the game. UPCs from M&M's, Twix, Milky Way, 3 Musketeers and Snickers provided online entry from Dec. 22, 2009, to Feb. 7. Secondary prizes were 750 Visa gift cards in $25, $500 and $1,000 denominations. Dedicated floorstands and SmartSource shelf talkers supported.Anheuser-Busch again earned a strong presence with its evergreen "Bud Bowl" campaign, which originated in 1989 as a series of Super Bowl TV spots (see "Bud Bowl IV Set to Score" in Related Articles) but has since morphed into a reliable platform for in-store cross-merchandising and sponsored on-premise parties.This year's effort focused on Bud Light through a variety of P-O-P materials and a partnership with Kraft. The latter centered on a coupon booklet carrying about $10 in coupons for Kraft snack brands and mail-in rebates of $15 on the combined purchase of beer and store deli platters; $10 with beer and bottled water. The Bud Bowl logo also made a cameo appearance on shippers for Kraft's Velveeta offering a recipe for "spicy buffalo beer dip" as a game-day treat.A-B also staged an online sweeps with Sharp Electronics Corp. that awarded 10 grand-prize Sharp high-def TVs. Entry was online or via text-message from Jan. 1 through Feb. 7.Diamond Foods again bought into News America Marketing's official Super Bowl license to employ the game's logo on SmartSource shelf talkers for Blue Diamond nuts. The company also used the season to stage its first multi-brand promotion, a "Feed Your Fingers" sweeps that awarded tickets to the 2011 game. That effort was promoted on floorstands and SmartSource aisle violators for Pop Secret.Kellogg Co. used 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Jerry Rice to help promote a "Big Game" sweeps awarding a trip for four to the 2011 game. Entry was on a promotional website from Jan. 14 to Feb. 7. Dedicated floorstands gained solid placement in stores.Two other manufacturers timed the launch of football-themed promotions to the Super Bowl. Land O'Frost Inc. in late December introduced an instant-win game awarding a trip to the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Canton, OH, next August. Colgate-Palmolive's Hill's Pet Nutrition kicked off a "Touchdown Celebration" contest on Jan. 24 that required entrants to videotape their pets "celebrating" a Science Diet treat.News America Marketing's SmartSource again sought to enhance its FSI and SmartSource offerings with an official sponsorship that gave brand advertisers entree into a "Super Bowl Savings Spectacular" conducted over the three Sundays before the game. Participants included Colgate-Palmolive, Tyson, Cumberland Packing Corp.'s Sweet 'n Low and Blue Diamond. A corresponding sweeps awarded a trip to the 2011 Super Bowl. SmartSource also staged a parallel "Big Game Extravaganza" program that didn't involve licensed imagery.

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