Social media is a powerful tool for all sports teams, but it’s become even more important for NFL sides in recent years. With the league continuing to extend its reach across the world, there are more fans looking to keep in touch with their favorite franchises and the players that drive them.
Like all sports associations, the NFL’s social media strategy has historically involved an element of trial and error. Not all of their plans have worked perfectly, but many have gone viral and helped to build that global fanbase.
Essential Partners
The NFL also has several key business partners and the two parties help to boost each other’s profile. Sponsors and financial associates have been an integral part of the league for many years, and the list of backers has recently grown.
From 2018 onwards, many states in the USA opened up to sports betting, and the operators behind the markets have helped to pump more revenue into the NFL. Many stadiums now have sports betting halls, while the presence extends out into the digital world.
Social media can be used to promote special offers, while keeping customers updated with the latest NFL MVP odds. There are many adverts used in this way, and some of those leave a lasting impression.
The Beckhams and Uber Eats
One of the best examples of a viral NFL marketing campaign involved David and Victoria Beckham. During their Netflix special, a memorable moment occurred when David mocked his wife’s attempts to claim that she had a working class background.
Uber Eats seized on this slip and turned it into a clip which was the highlight of the Super Bowl ads in 2024. It was a clever move on Uber’s part as the Beckham’s popularity extends beyond the United States and into many other countries. There is interest in David and Victoria as a celebrity couple too, so the ad covered many bases.
With teasing on social media building up interest, Uber Eats and the NFL secured a viral success with what many believe to be the most hilarious Super Bowl ad yet.
Brady and Gronkowski Reunite
The NFL may have had less involvement in this campaign, but they will doubtless be grateful to Tom Brady for lifting their profile. During their playing days with the New England Patriots, Brady and Rob Gronkowski became great friends, and it was a surprise when the Gronk announced his retirement in 2019.
In a memorable 2021 video, Brady spoofed a scene from the movie Anchorman, begging his old friend to make a comeback. The strategy worked as the two men reunited at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Brady’s social media work became a huge viral hit.
2019 #WeReady
The 2019 NFL season marked the 100th full campaign in the sport’s history. The league looked to make it a special time, and they began with a huge buildup to the regular season. This involved a new centennial logo, and a social media campaign which used the hashtag, #WeReady.
The NFL began with a launch video which included top players of the time including DeAndre Hopkins and Landon Collins. A special chant was used, which caught on among NFL fans. Weeks away from the start of that centenary season, the league worked with commercial partners, to find out what the game meant to the supporters.
It was one of the biggest social media campaigns in the NFL’s history and it certainly worked. In 2019, #WeReady was one of the top five hashtags to be viewed in the United States, with 427 million views and 73 million engagements.
Super Bowl Babies
One of the cheekier NFL marketing campaigns went viral in 2016. Every fan likes to celebrate sporting success in different ways, and this particular work focused on the arrival of Super Bowl babies.
Around nine months after their parents’ favorite team had lifted the Vince Lombardi Trophy, the next batch of Super Bowl babies would arrive. In a brilliant and touching video directed by Lance Acord and Chris Wilcha of Park Pictures, several generations of genuine Super Bowl Babies got together to sing Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose.”
The video’s oldest contributor was the 49-year-old child of a 1967 Green Bay Packers fan, while the youngest were tiny toddlers. The Super Bowl Babies song truly covered all the generations from the very first Super Bowl, and it remains one of the most ingenious social media campaigns involving the NFL.
Final Words
Social media continues to evolve, and it will provide many more platforms for the NFL, and other sports to tap into. While change is inevitable, the power of social media remains and the league will continue to work hard on providing viral content.
It’s a way of informing and engaging fans, and we can’t wait to see what the NFL and the content creators deliver next.
