You Can't Automate the NFL Draft and Other Marketing Lessons on the Human Connection

Apparently I wasn39t aloneamp160 In fact according to CBS the NFL Draft had the highest television ratings for any NFL Draft everamp160 Overall there was an average of 55 million viewers watching the draft at any given time which led to a 357 household ratingamp160 The 2018 numbers were a 25 percent increase over last year39s rating and a 20 percent increase over the average viewership for 2017Which made me think Why is the NFL Draft so popularLike March Madness you can39t predict the outcome and the winners and losers don39t just surprise us they delight usamp160 Whether it39s Shaquem Griffin39s against all odds extraordinary display of excellence or Michael Joseph39s inspiring story of persistence football fans cheer from the sidelines feeling personally invested in each playeramp160 Team owners and GMs create the iconic war rooms and call each other39s bluffs trading at the last minute and playing on each other39s emotionsamp160 There areamp160no automated efforts it39s all about your relationships with the team the playersamp160and the other franchisesamp160 It39s like poker with helmetsamp160 Your heart is beating watching that clock count downamp160 Have you ever seen Draft Dayamp160 Just like thatLet39s face it The element of the human connection can never be automatedamp160 It39s the reason why year in and year out the NFL has all star ratings Like the NFL Draft the best OOH campaigns rely on developing human connections and fostering deep relationships with your audienceamp160 With that in mind here are some marketing lessons that the 2018 NFL Draft taught me so that your audience will root for you to become the next MVPLet Your Track Record Do the TalkingWhile everyone was talking about Josh Allen and Harold Landry as top picks before the NFL Draft other key players went unnoticed until the draft was overamp160 This weekamp160ESPN called Bradley Chubbamp160quotcollege football39s best defender in 2017quot and he ended up becoming the Denver Bronco39s No 5 pickLesson learned for brands Those who get all the hype early on rarely get the gloryamp160 You build consumer trust and brand loyalty in your fans by delivering marketing campaigns that are consistent to your brand establish who you areamp160and support your valuesWhether it39s Absolut Vodka39s quotnothing to hidequot campaign or the quotworld39s longestever uninterruptedquot campaign the Absolut Vodka Absolut bottle the brand has become the topselling premiere vodka in the world by delivering consistent eyepopping brilliant OOH advertisingamp160 When you look at an OOH campaign and sayamp160quotThat is so fill in the blankquot you winPlayers Who Play for Their Fans Play for KeepsGeorgia39s David Andrews wasn39t originally drafted but he cemented himself as a starting center during an impressive twoyear Super Bowl streak for the New England Patriotsamp160 You have no idea how much it hurts me to say thatamp160 Not only did Andrews become a fan favorite but Patriots39 fans were eying Georgia for more of their standout talentamp160 So it should have come as no surprise when Bill Belichick double dipped in the first round and this year selected two former Bulldogs Isaiah Wynn and Sonny Michelamp160 Fans don39t just invest in their players but in the institutions that they come fromLesson learned for brands The more you play to your fans the more diehard they will becomeamp160 Whether it39s Budweiser making specific NFL themed OOH campaigns with limited edition Super Bowl branded bottles or Fenty Beauty creating bold crisp images of our favorite bad girlamp160Ririamp160listening to your fans when designing your OOH campaigns can be a gamechangerGive 39Em Nonstop Surprises So They39ll Tune in Next YearWho could have seen Josh Rosen falling off the top fiveamp160and almost not making it to the top ten picksamp160 I still don39t know what the Raiders were thinking when it came to drafting Kolton Miller instead of a defensive player when they were ranked Noamp16029 for defense last yearamp160 All I know is that the NFL Draft works in mysterious ways and that39s why I can39t stop watchingIBM39s Smarter Cities Campaign not only made us look twice but doubled as a benchamp160 The OOH campaign was a great example of connecting a message with innovative design leveraging the unexpectedamp160and connecting with what consumers never knew they wantedamp160 By taking advantage of the element of surprise in OOH brands can stay front and center in their consumers39amp160memoriesIt takes really knowing what your audience wants to get fans so hyped up this spring about the NFL season when preseason games don39t even start for another five monthsamp160 Well played NFL well playedThe NFL Draft really speaks to the importance of the human connection in developing longterm meaningful relationships with its viewersamp160 Like the NFL Draft the human element in advertising cannot be overstated and the more you find ways to keep your audience coming back for more the more you increase your odds of joining the hall of fame of advertisingamp160 After all even though the Ravens are ranked 14th in the league this year we had quite a draft with a high chance of making it to the playoffsamp160 So you can bet I won39t be missing preseason for the worldPhoto credit Joshua Allwood UnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

You Can't Automate the NFL Draft and Other Marketing Lessons on the Human Connection

Author

Publish date

Channel

Carly Zipp

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

More Videos:

Click to Make Your 2025 Contribution to Support the MediaVillage Education Foundation

You Can't Automate the NFL Draft and Other Marketing Lessons on the Human Connection

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Carly Zipp

Jon Miller | Cofounder Marketo, Engagio | The Gumball Machine is Broken - Rethinking B2B Marketing - By Mike Linton

The payment was successful

Cookies