Super Bowl LX is February 8, and that means you have 19 days left to learn Spanish and get your game day texts in order. Today I’m here to help you with one of these goals.
In this issue we will cover:
A look back at ~100 texts we received in the run up to Super Bowl LIX
Do you text before, during, or after the game? The most popular send times
Four ideas for your brand
Helpful links to more real game day examples, including 2 luxury brands
Vamonos!
Before, During or After the Game?
As I went to plan this month’s SMS calendar I was thinking about when exactly to slot in Super Bowl content. So let’s take a look at when these texts typically come in. Last year, I received about 100 texts referencing the big game (from about 60 brands). The biggest portion of those messages came in on game day morning between 9am - 12pm.
For more considered categories, text about 10 days before the game
In our data set, texts began coming in about two weeks before the Super Bowl, as soon as the conference championships were over - aka this Sunday, January 25. If your product is a higher price point with a longer consideration period, and it belongs at a Super Bowl celebration, this is the time to work this message into your marketing calendar.
Two texts sent about 10 days before Super Bowl LIX
Offer same day shipping, extend your hours
For years Dick’s Sporting Goods has been the Game Day GOAT. They make merchandise available the moment the championship games are over, and the moment the Super Bowl is over. And I don’t mean the next day, I mean the MOMENT. In the winning team’s market, Dick’s brick and mortar stores open as soon as the game is over, usually late into the night, to sell championship merch. Last year Dick’s sent subscribers a text as the Super Bowl clock counted down. At 10pm EST, they were ready with championship merch and with same-day shipping fans could have it in hand by 9 am Monday morning.
Urgency is part of the fun
Here’s something unique that I like about the Super Bowl. There is a unique urgency that we’ve lost with our other holidays.
Unlike Cyber Monday, no one expects an extension on a Super Bowl promotion. There is a very specific clock for the Super Bowl and the whole world is watching that clock. Use that urgency to drive traffic NOW.
You can anchor promotions around various moments and ask subscribers to take action before kick off, before half time, or before the end of the game. Even Trump has tapped into this idea in his game day texts.
Make it interactive
Super Bowl betting is hitting record levels so we know that consumers are excited to make their wagers. Play into that excitement with some low stakes interactive texts like these from Cozy Earth and Shaker & Spoon.
Helpful Links
See 25 more assorted game day examples from 2024 - 2025
Check out how luxury brands text during the Super Bowl. It takes advance planning to do it right.
Finally here’s a Super Bowl case study from Attentive about their client Wings and Rings
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