How Food and Beverage Brands Can Quarterback Game Day Trends

More than 111 million viewers tuned in to watch the New England Patriots take on the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl 51, but not all of them were hardcore fans. The Super Bowl transcends the sport of football, it’s representative of American culture that includes food, drink, and entertainment. Game-day related content begins trending as early as August as the football season kicks off and escalates again right before Super Bowl Sunday. Although the $5 million price tag for a 30-second ad might be steep for many independent brands, game day still presents a winning opportunity to tap into trends and connect with consumers through social, video, recipes, and other content.

Food and Beverage Brands Should Get Social

Super Bowl ads are a highlight of the game. Last year, consumers spent 350,000 hours on YouTube watching ads before, during, and after the game. But even brands that don’t advertise are getting in on the action—Lowe’s, the home-improvement store, developed a series of how-to videos showing how to set up a home entertainment center and Campbell’s Soup ran a digital-only campaign on the Discover Channel that showed viewers how to make mini bread bowls for chili. Engaging with consumers on social media before, during, and after the Big Game creates community and engagement with your brand.

2018 Super Bowl Food and Beverage Trends

A month into New Year’s resolutions, Americans are looking for any excuse for a #CheatDay. In addition to the traditional game day foods like pizza and wings, among this year’s trends are whoopie pies, sweet potato fries, and bite-sized appetizer “bombs.” Trending on the cocktail menu are spicy beer and lime Micheladas, Moscow Mule cocktails, and hard cider. Fifty-seven percent of consumers look up game-day info on smartphones, so make sure your content is mobile-friendly.

Game Day Entertaining Trends

It’s not just about the game, it’s about the experience. Consumers are creating themed events that include personalized printable decorations for the table, games, and activities for children. Among the trending themes expected for this year are snack “stadiums” and build your own bars for chili, tacos, and burgers.

The Game is Only Part of the Story

While devoted fans are watching every second, many are multi-tasking—one-third are talking about the game or posting to social media, a quarter are surfing the web, and 12% are re-watching the ads on YouTube. This is an opportunity to engage consumers during the game to discuss game-related topics on social.

Just the Facts

Did you know:

Super Bowl is the second-largest food consumption day in America, second only to Thanksgiving

Americans buy approximately 12.5 million pizzas on Super Bowl Sunday

Americans will consume 1.33 billion chicken wings and drink 325 million gallons of beer during the big game

Women's Marketing offers insights into how consumers search on social media and on the web for the biggest events of the year. Discover our suite of marketing services including, marketing strategy, social media strategy, SEO and SEM services designed to help consumers discover and convert.

Sources: The Daily Meal Most Popular Super Bowl Party Foods Ranked, Forbes Super Bowl 2017 Advertisers That Garnered the Most Social Conversation 2017, Statista, CNN More than 111 million people Watched Super Bowl LI, MediaKix Super Bowl 51 The Biggest Advertising & Social Media Statistics, Forbes 1.33 Billion Chicken Wings to Be Eaten on Super Bowl Sunday and More Factoid Fun 2017