The National Football League (NFL) season is attracting automakers back to advertising after a slowdown in recent years. Toyota, Hyundai, and the Detroit automakers are among those expected to take advantage of the NFL and its games as primary advertising platforms in the coming months. Toyota, in particular, is entering the football season as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NFL,” a first for the world’s largest automaker. The automotive industry significantly reduced advertising and marketing budgets in recent years due to low vehicle inventory levels caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. However, with vehicle inventory levels increasing and automakers facing high interest rates and economic fears, they are turning to live sports, especially the NFL, to promote new products.
The NFL is a crucial part of automakers’ advertising strategies. Last year, approximately 44% of automotive ad spend budgets in national TV were dedicated to the NFL, compared to 31% across all sectors. The impact of the NFL on the automotive advertising industry is substantial, according to Alberto Leyes, head of product strategy at Guideline.
NFL games dominate viewership on traditional TV, with last year’s regular season games averaging 17.9 million viewers, and the Super Bowl drawing 123.7 million average viewers. The consistent viewership of the NFL has led to a surge in the value of its media rights deals, which, in turn, have driven up NFL team valuations.
The advertising market, in general, has shown signs of rebounding this year, particularly for streaming and digital players. Live sports continue to attract significant ad spend. Andrew Messina, senior vice president of sales at Disney Advertising, noted that Disney has seen positive, continuous double-digit growth in automakers’ ad spending over the last five years, especially from brands like Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, and Stellantis.
Automakers have expanded their commitments to include sponsorship opportunities alongside ad spots. Mark Marshall, NBCUniversal’s chairman of global advertising and partnerships, highlighted the key marketing real estate automakers own on “Sunday Night Football” and the increased presence on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock.
Guideline reports that the viewership of NFL broadcasts grew by about 7% over the past season, while ad spend in NFL programming increased by 14%. Automotive ad spend has also increased by 17% over the past two seasons and is expected to continue growing this year.
Toyota, as the “Official Automotive Partner of the NFL,” has launched a new ad campaign for the NFL season called “Roll Deep.” The automaker will have a season-long schedule of content across various platforms. Toyota’s decision to partner with the NFL came after a review of its marketing and advertising spend, with the company recognizing the value of reaching the NFL’s highly diverse and engaged fanbase.
Hyundai will continue to have a significant role during NFL broadcasts, including as the presenting sponsor of NBC’s Sunday Night Football kickoff show for the seventh consecutive year. The company aims to catch consumers when they are watching television live, as it believes this strategic approach is essential, especially during sporting events with increasing viewership.
Overall, automakers are capitalizing on the NFL’s broad reach and consistent viewership to promote their new products. The NFL remains a crucial advertising platform for automakers, attracting significant ad spend and providing access to a highly engaged fanbase. With the rebounding advertising market and increased interest in live sports, automakers are likely to continue investing in NFL advertising in the future.
