Sports Betting

Sunday’s Super Bowl LV game in Tampa will see DraftKings join several first-time advertisers as some other top brands miss out. The Super Bowl is the most wagered-on sporting game across all US sports, so it is perhaps fitting that the daily fantasy sports giant and internet sportsbook operator are throwing their hat into the advertising mix. 

The past few years have seen an indication that the NFL is becoming increasingly inclined towards regulated sports betting. Several marketing deals have been signed between teams across the league and sports wagering companies and, with the Las Vegas Raiders, we now even have an NFL franchise in the betting capital of the country. But despite all that, DraftKings’s advertising spots will not exactly publicize the operator’s sportsbook wagers.   

Instead, the idea is to help accustom users to the DraftKings platform and then, in the long run, keep them as customers. Building a customer base via daily fantasy sport and free games, and then eventually converting those clients into sports bettors is a move that the company is not unfamiliar with. According to Jeannine Poggi, reporting for AdAge, “DraftKings will air two 15-second commercials in the second and third quarters of Super Bowl LV, offering viewers a chance to enter a free pool to make predictions on fourth-quarter action.”

Sporting Backstory

The Super Bowl will take place for the 55th time come Sunday, February 7th, 2021, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. From an entirely sporting perspective, the biggest subplot surrounding Super Bowl LV is the fascinating matchup between the quarterbacks on both football teams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be able to call on legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady.

Widely regarded as the greatest quarterback of all time, the 43-year-old will be making an appearance in the 10th Super Bowl of his astonishing career. He will be looking to pick up a record seventh ring, two years from winning his sixth. That one was a record, by the way. 

As for Brady’s opponents on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs will be lining up with ‘youngster’ superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a combo that is already being regarded widely as the league’s next dynasty in waiting. Mahomes won the NFL Most Valuable Player award, picking up the NFL Offensive Player of the Year gong and getting named to the Pro Bowl and the First-Team All-Pro in his first season. 

The following year saw him lead the Chiefs to Super Bowl LIV, their first Super Bowl appearance in five decades. In doing that, Mahomes became the reigning Super Bowl MVP and the first quarterback to make two Super Bowl appearances before turning 26. If he leads the Chiefs to victory in Sunday’s matchup, it’ll be the first time since 2003-2004 that an NFL team claims two consecutive titles. And the team which achieved that particular feat? You guessed it; Brady’s New England Patriots.

The two quarterbacks have already faced off four times, sharing the spoils a couple of times apiece. So, the game sees the player with the most remarkable NFL legacy of all time facing off against the new kid who has already begun racking up the records. It is no wonder Super Bowl LV is being tagged as ‘the GOAT’ V.s ‘the kid’. And it is no wonder that DraftKings is looking to tap into the vast customer base that this backstory is set to attract.

Big Game, Big Bucks

Initially, DraftKings was planning one ad for the Super Bowl scheduled for Feb 5. But, like the President and Co-founder of the gaming company, Matthew Kalish, told AdAge, ‘when it became obvious that the big game would feature the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the compelling Patrick Mahomes/Tom Brady quarterback battle, the firm opted for two spots and a bigger presence.

Kalish said another primary purpose of the ads would be to give bettors a taste of the DraftKings experience. Despite live sports getting shut down earlier on in the pandemic, DraftKings still saw its users come to the platform to engage around different content, such as e-sports. He said that once live sports returned, they noticed a spike in pent-up demand. 

“There’s tremendous momentum in not just fantasy sports, but also sports betting, which is open in 12 states and rapidly expanding throughout the country,” Kalish said to AdAge. The ads are being created by the company and focused on urging viewers to participate in a free predictive game based on the fourth quarter. Betting situations might look something like predicting the scorer of the final touchdown and the length of the longest play in the final stanza of the game.

Matt Kalish revealed that all participants will get a prize and that payouts will range from $3 to $25,000. If it isn’t already evident that DraftKings is going all out with their ad slots for Super Bowl LV, then perhaps a look at their Super Bowl ad budget will convince you, with it being reported that a 30-second Super Bowl ad costs over 5 million dollars.  

Debuts

However, the gaming company is not the only firm set to make its Super Bowl advertising debut in Sunday’s event. In total, 11 companies are having their first foray into the world of Super Bowl advertising, including Chipotle, DoorDash, Huggies, and WeatherTech. 

On the reverse side, some big brands that have come to be known staples of Super Bowl advertising will be sitting out this year. Coca-Cola will be taking a one year break, while Hyundai’s absence will see it snap an 11-year stretch of ad slots. For the first time in a long time, we would also not be seeing a run out for the Budweiser brand.