Football event marketing normally makes up a significant portion of a shopper marketer’s program playbook as brands strive to execute programs that position their products as staples of the game day experience. With the Super Bowl just two months away and shopper marketers looking to strengthen their game day tactics, there is one company that is standing apart from the pack. By strategically leveraging localization and gamification, P&G has been tremendously successful this season in both publicizing their NFL sponsorship and connecting their products to the game day experience. Below are specific examples of their winning tactics in-action:

Leveraging Local Loyalties
From September 21st to October 18th, P&G paired with BJ’s Wholesale Club to run a sweepstakes targeted to the team loyalties of BJ’s East Coast operating region. Sweeps entry was supported by a dedicated microsite (pgfootballsweeps.com) and winners were able to choose home game tickets for any one of the three most popular teams in the region – the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins. In targeting the rewards to the unique preferences of the region, P&G experienced high sweeps participation. This demonstrates that regional relevancy is key to optimizing rewards appeal and program participation. As part of the sweeps, P&G brands’ Secret, Olay, Head & Shoulders, and Old Spice were given secondary merchandising space in BJ’s with signage and pallets outfitted with wraps featuring the slogan, “Go Fresh or Go Home.” The in-store marketing was further supported by an email campaign and a meet & greet event with New England Patriots’ wide receiver, Brandin Cooks. The event was held at a Northborough, Massachusetts location, where Patriots loyalty is naturally high, furthering developing local level engagement.

While this was the first year the CPG giant activated it’s sponsorship at BJ’s, the tactics used aren’t unfamiliar to the company. Supermarket chain Publix renewed their “Tackle Everything” sweeps with P&G for the third year in a row. Running from August 27th to October 11th, the sweeps allows customers to enter into regional prize pools for a chance to win game tickets, stadium tours, meet & greet opportunities and more for their southeast team of choice, including the Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Jacksonville Jaguars. Consumers were driven to the entry page of the co-op website (promotionpg.com) via a feature in the retailers’ coupon book, radio spots and in-store standees featuring QR codes.

By partnering with retailers to deliver localized game day shopper marketing innovation, P&G was able to develop more personalized connections with their football fan market. CPGs looking to improve their game day shopper strategies should consider how they can leverage localization and customer collaboration to appeal to distinct hometown demographics and loyalties.

Gamifying the Rewards Experience
The campaign that has been one of P&G’s most interactive this season is their “Score in the Redzone” campaign at Walgreens. Running from September 3rd 2017 to February 3rd 2018, the season-long rewards program allows Walgreens’ shoppers to upload their receipts to a dedicated promotional site (scoreintheredzone.com) to earn credits for each product they purchase. Eligible products include over 100 items from 42 P&G brands. Each eligible item counts as one credit or “touchdown.” In addition to using touchdowns towards the purchase of P&G products, customers are also able to apply their points towards entry for a chance to win tickets to the Super Bowl or the Pro Bowl, as well as to purchase NFL merchandise, from lower cost items like t-shirts, to higher costs items like signed swag. In-store marketing promoted the program, including dedicated endcaps, circular features and co-op FSIs.

By creating a game-like rewards experience that taps into the competitive nature of the season and the desire for interactive experiences beyond the TV screen, P&G was able to effectively drive shoppers from in-store to online as a fully omnichannel experience. While this program enabled P&G to connect with football fans across the nation, similar to the regional programs, it still granted customers the power to choose the rewards of their choice. The program also built the foundation for an ongoing loyalty rewards program with abundant personalization opportunities available from both the garnered purchase receipt data and the prize redemption data.

In leveraging localization and gamification, P&G hit many touch points with their consumer and set a strong foundation for future program development. The CPGs that want to conquer game day should follow their example and find ways to promote their products in both highly personalized and interactive ways that serve as an extension of the game watching experience.

Sources:
https://p2pi.org/article/bjs-and-pg-go-fresh-football-season
https://p2pi.org/article/pg-scores-redzone-walgreens
https://p2pi.org/article/publix-has-many-ways-win-football-season