NLF Kickoff Live From Times Square
National Football League, September 2002
Overview Positioning The National Football League is the leading American sports league offering premier entertainment to 170 million fans, approximately 2/3 of the U.S. population. The NFL is also a major content provider producing television programming, licensed consumer products and a leading Internet portal.   Market Factors As an entertainment property, the NFL competes for consumers' discretionary time along with other entertainment options including prime time television and feature film. Also in competition are other major sports leagues in the entertainment landscape.
Promotion Objectives Create news and excitement from the start of the season to generate broad media and consumer interest in Kickoff event and game Move Kickoff beyond sports pages Raise bard for League, whose championship game reaches 800 million people worldwide, creative bookend events on the season Drive NFL Kickoff business growth in primary areas of rating, awareness and marketing value Increase Kickoff game ratings by 3-5% over last year Increase consumer awareness of Kickoff, particularly among casual fans Promote NFL and Kickoff to broadest fan base possible Jumpstart fan momentum to carry excitement throughout season Increase season-long ratings and awareness Create true bookends on season, culminating in Super Bowl Increase consumption of NFL-branded merchandise and services Increase revenues in NFL Shop via catalog and Internet Increase traffic on NFL.com
Promotion Description On September 5, 2002, the NFL and the City of New York united to host "a great American coming-together: in celebration of the start of the NFL season and of the resilience on New York." The worlds of football, music, fashion and Broadway converged on Times Square for an afternoon of celebration leading up to the first ever primetime Kickoff of the NFL season at Giants Stadium.
a) Decided to take game out of traditional Sunday night start to create news and anticipation for Thursday primetime kickoff • Brought season-opening game to New York, featuring Giants vs. 49ers • Approached City of New York in May 2002 to create an unprecedented event, "NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square" on September 5, 2002 • Convinced NYC to work together to develop platform to help show that "NYC is back!" b) Planned and executed event in 12 week time • Logistics involved staging, talent, securing sponsors, coordination with NYC • Unprecedented operational accomplishments: Shut down Times Square on a workday, starting at 1:00 p.m.; Pushed back Broadway curtain times to 8:30 p.m. to allow for crowd dispersal; Coordinated content on all video screens in Times Square - the first time ever done
c) Event featured: • Top-name musical performers: Bon Jovi, Enrique Iglesias, Eve, Alicia Keys • Premier NFL players and sportscasters as hosts • Broadway show performance by cast of "Rent" • Runway fashion show featuring original NFL apparel and one-of-a-kind NFL jersey designs by leading New York designers in DKNY, Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Kors and Bill Blass • City and State participation throughout event, including Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Pataki • Event broadcast live for 3 1/2 hours over various national and local media partners (CBS, VH1, ESPN), leading up to game kickoff
Results a) Achieved significant increases in NFL ratings, interest and brand value during Kickoff week 126 million people watched NFL-related programming, 46% of U.S. TV population, a 12% increase over 2001 104 million unduplicated viewers watched NFL games, a 16% increase over 2001 According to ESPN Sports Poll 72% of Americans interested in NFL, a five-year high A record-setting 8 million consumers logged onto NFL.com during Kickoff week
b) Broadcast ratings and fan interest increases from Kickoff carried throughout the season NFL viewership on broadcast television was ahead of network primetime ratings by widest margin ever-52% higher than average primetime viewership Total viewers per game across season increased 5% Overall NFL fan base increased 1.2% vs. 2001 All broadcast partners achieved total-season increases for game broadcasts, as high as 17% NFL.com unique visitors up 48% over 2001
c) Business partners benefited from Kickoff Every broadcast network partner (ABC, CBS, FOX) had higher proportion of younger viewers opening weekend (vs. 2001) Monday night football had best 18-34 rating from opener in seven years FOX had largest audience ever for NFL opener, over 21 million viewers Bon Jovi had greatest first day sales ever, topping 260,000 CDs Miami Dolphins Kickoff rally drove stadium sellout for the first game Promotion set stage for continued NYC revival $14 million in air time to promote city tourism $4.5 million for future Sept. 11 memorial $500,000 for Sept. 11 one-year commemoration ceremony All NFL games sold out week two d) Kickoff created news that generated media coverage approaching Super Bowl proportions, in excess of $100 million in media value • 500,000 people attended Times Square event (target: 100,000) • Over 700 press credential issued • 135 media outlets attended • 13 television and 19 radio stations broadcast live from the event • Event coverage distributed in 226 countries e) Promotional event generated dramatically increased sales of NFL consumer products vs. Kickoff week 2001 +20% for NFL Home Shopping Network shows +73% for NFL on NFL.com +45% for NFL Shop via catalog