Beverage brands tackle the Super Bowl head on

Marketing programs engage consumers before and during Big Game

February brings one of the most anticipated events of the sports year: the Super Bowl. After more than 108 million viewers tuned in to watch the big event in 2013, according to ESPN, beverage brands made sure to grab a piece of this year’s viewership with marketing programs surrounding the Feb. 2 event.

Following its Super Bowl premiere in 2013, SodaStream hit the field once again with a fourth-quarter ad highlighting its at-home soda machine and drink mixes and featuring its new global brand ambassador, Scarlett Johansson. The ad served as the kickoff for SodaStream’s 2014 global ad campaign.

Pepsi, which sponsors the Super Bowl Halftime Show, amped up the hype even earlier with a special preview event in Milligan, Neb. The brand partnered with country music star Lee Brice to host one of Pepsi’s first “Get Hyped for Halftime” events at the geographic halfway point of America. On Jan. 4, Brice and a Pepsi Marching Band made a surprise visit to the town for a special performance to boost the excitement. Pepsi also made surprise visits to various other cities across the country to bolster anticipation.

In addition to five Budweiser family commercials during the game, Bud Light hosted its annual Bud Light Hotel four-day Super Bowl party this year on a cruise ship docked at New York’s Pier 88 and at the neighboring Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum during Super Bowl weekend. Bud Light gave the ship a branded makeover complete with Bud Light Hotel signage and hotel accessories, while the Intrepid served as a concert space for performances by bands including the Foo Fighters, Imagine Dragons and Fall Out Boy as well as country music star Jake Owen.

Beverage brands came into the game with a marketing strategy for victory and surely gave it their all to win the hearts of the fans.

Jennifer Storelli freelances for Beverage Industry, writing for the magazine’s print and online components. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University.

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