Fans may not see beer ads on Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football,” but they’ll see plenty of cereal and personal care spots during games on the Amazon streamer this fall.
Amy McDevitt, head of sports brand partnerships at Amazon, is key to that effort. She described in an interview how her six-person team works with non-endemics — brands that don’t sell their products on Amazon, like insurance and finance — as well as brands that haven’t traditionally advertised around sports. In some cases, McDevitt’s team has been a “driving force behind their decision to partner with Amazon,” she said.
“There are a lot of brands that maybe wanted to test and learn because they’ve partnered with Amazon in the past, and now here we have this amazing product of ‘Thursday Night Football,’ so they’re extending their partnership into that space,” McDevitt told Insider. “And then others maybe who are net-new to Amazon because they’ve been longtime NFL partners.”
Non-endemic advertisers have been a crucial part of Amazon’s ability to expand its ad business more broadly, which totaled $38 billion in 2022.
Amazon made an $11 billion deal with the NFL last year for Prime Video to be the exclusive streamer of “TNF,” part of the tech giant’s bid to become a mainstream sports player. Now the company has to work hard to make its money back after underdelivering on some campaigns last year and initially turning off some advertisers with ad rates that were seen as too aggressive. This year, it’s wooing advertisers with popular matchups, lower rates, and new features. The season kicks off Sept. 14.
Retargeting consumers with varying messages across its properties is part of Amazon’s pitch. It’s landed well with grocery brands that sell on the site. General Mills exec Raquel Navarrski said on a panel Monday at NYC TV Week that this feature was a key selling point in her company’s decision to advertise on “TNF” this year.
The cereal giant also liked the ability to buy a single spot in which they can put different ads for different audiences . Another plus was the option to leverage “TNF” talent (Amazon wouldn’t say what it considers “talent”) to sell its products, Navarrski said.
“You don’t see a lot of cereal advertising in the NFL,” McDevitt said. “That just speaks to the forward-thinking nature of their company, that they’re willing to mix it up and try new things.”
Creating ads that are relevant to the day’s matchup is another part of the pitch. Last year, Amazon made custom ads for DraftKings with “TNF” analysts Ryan Fitzpatrick and Richard Sherman previewing a same-game betting parlay. Instead of running an advertiser’s old spot, McDevitt’s team could design one that, say, features athletes connected to that night’s host city.
“It’s much more interesting if you’ve got two teams playing, and you’re somehow including a nod to that week’s game versus something that has very obviously been shot back in July. So we’re doing a lot more of that,” she said.
Amazon’s first Black Friday game on November 24 (Miami Dolphins at New York Jets) is another way it’s drawing interest from brands that don’t have traditional shopping messages. The matchup will be shown for free on Prime Video, offering advertisers a wider audience than those with an Amazon Prime membership (Amazon ended 2022 with 168 million members, according to CIRP).
“There’s some brands that are thinking, ‘Okay, even if I don’t have a doorbuster deal or something, how can I speak to audiences with that Black Friday lens?'” McDevitt said. “Brands that maybe have nothing to do with holiday shopping will kind of revamp how they speak to consumers with some media creative that day.”
In another move that will have big implications for some advertisers, Amazon is exploring dynamic advertising, a more targeted form of messaging that’s tailored to the individual (i.e. with copy or promotion). Some brands want the ability to pinpoint audiences in this way, although advertisers who buy around sports are still typically looking for broad reach.
“It’s definitely something on the radar,” McDevitt said, without elaborating. “Essentially, there is going to be an opportunity.”
Beyond non-endemic ads featuring “TNF” talent, fans can also expect to see more spots featuring themes of gender equality.
“I’m noticing an uptick in people interested in either including women in their messaging or reaching women or promoting women’s sports or integrating female storytelling,” McDevitt said. “It seemed like women were a part of a lot of RFPs and just either how to reach them or how to include them in creative or shine a spotlight on what brands are doing with women.”
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