With tailgating in parking lots and at home not showing any signs of slowing down, several supermarkets are actively playing up their roles as sponsors of various NFL as well as various college teams.
Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars indicated Publix would replace Winn-Dixie as the 'Official Supermarket of the Jaguars' in a five-year deal. Publix joins the Jaguars "Jamboree," the most significant corporate partners of the team.
The partnership will provide Jaguars fans with the opportunity to participate in tailgating experiences at Jaguars games and in-store promotions at Publix. The team's pregame radio show will be renamed the 'Publix Tailgate Show.' Other sponsorship elements include weekly tailgating recipes on Jaguars.com, signage inside and outside of EverBank Field, and player and cheerleader appearances during the season at various Publix locations.
"Jaguars fans will feel like they're 'home' when shopping at Publix during the season, as Publix is known for its terrific in-store activation," said Jaguars senior vice president of corporate partnerships Scott Massey. "Tailgating is synonymous with football and we look forward to working with Publix to provide fun and memorable experiences to Jaguars fans each year."
As official sponsor of The New York Giants and New England Patriots, Stop & Shop have exclusive rights to use both teams' logos in store displays and media, according to Supermarket News. Other related-marketing elements have included playing cards, posters of players and team-themed reusable bags; store visits by current and former players; sweepstakes contests for tickets, signed footballs and gift cards, and special tailgating events. Last year, the Patriots' star tight end, Rob Gronkowski, launched a new cereal "Gronk Flakes" exclusively at Stop & Shop stores in New England.
H-E-B chooses a "Tailgater of the Game" for home games of the Houston Texans, the Univeristy of Texas, Baylor University and Texas A&M. The winners get their images displayed on stadium video boards and athletic department websites and receive shopping sprees valued $1,000 for H-E-B shoppers.
Some programs also recognize the many female fans who have fallen in love with teams.
As official sponsor of the Baltimore Ravens, Giant Foods is the title sponsor of "Purple," created to provide Baltimore Ravens' female fans "a community entirely for themselves." Now in its 7th year, Purple provides a forum to stay involved with the team and each other through updates and special offers, and includes specialty women-only events at the Ravens' stadium.
- Jacksonville Jaguars Partner with Publix as Official Supermarket - Jacksonville Jaguars
- Stop & Shop Seeks Super Boost - Supermarket News
- 'Gronk Flakes' Hit Shelves Across New England - CBS Boston
- Sponsors become part of tailgate experience - Sports Business Daily
- H-E-B Tailgater of the Game - H-E-B
- Food City Tailgater of the Game - Food City
- Purple - Baltimore Ravens