Author: Nick Arias, Research & Insights Assistant, RAB
And just like that, we are just a few weeks away from one of the biggest American football games of the year, Super Bowl LVII. Teams have fought hard all year to get to this point, and this year’s playoffs have had some of the most competitive games of the season.
The NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl are perfect times to use radio to reach out to shoppers and sports fans to buy products for the big game. For one of the most anticipated games of the year, this would be the ideal time for retailers to develop offers and deals for Super Bowl essentials. Seventy-five percent of sports fans that are very interested in the NFL and listen to the NFL playoffs/Super Bowl on AM/FM radio, according to MRI-Simmons.
For sports fanatics, food and drinks are among the most significant purchases for the Super Bowl. As much as fast food sounds good all year round, it could be essential when enjoying the game. Based on MRI-Simmons data, 95% of adults 18+ who listen to the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl regularly on the radio have visited any restaurant in the last six months. Sixty-three percent of these radio listeners purchased supper or dinner at a fast-food restaurant during the previous six months, and 42% spent $51 to $200. But these radio listeners aren’t just fast-food fans, they also enjoy meals from other establishments, specifically family restaurants and steakhouses. Forty-eight percent have ordered their dinner from family restaurants and steakhouses.
Despite the large percentage who love fast food or picking up meals from other dining options, some prefer to do something else. Seventy-two of these playoffs and Super Bowl listeners enjoy cooking, and 58% prefer to prepare a meal instead of eating at a restaurant. Supermarkets can tap into these at-home meal makers by promoting recipes and goodies available in store or online.
Whether ordering in or eating a home prepped meal, people enjoy a beverage to complement their meal. Within the past week, these radio listeners have consumed various nonalcoholic beverages. Seventy-seven percent have had a regular carbonated soft drink, and 54% have had bottled water. For those of legal drinking age (21+), 69% have had any alcoholic beverage within the past six months. Despite what you may have thought, beer or ale at 52%, is not the top option. Fifty-eight percent of NFL playoff and Super Bowl radio listeners have had any distilled liquor in the past six months. Regardless of the age group or beverage of choice, beverage distributors, convenience stores and supermarkets should highlight the deals and broad beverage selection in their messaging to help drive traffic and sales to their locations.
You have read before about the attitudes of adults and listeners towards radio. Sports fans are no different. Sixty-three percent of adults who regularly listen to NFL playoffs or Super Bowl on the radio believe that radio is pure entertainment. In comparison, 40% see radio as their primary source of entertainment. But radio provides more than entertainment. To these listeners, radio is a good source of learning (49%), and it provides them with good ideas (36%).
Excitement is in the air, and as people prep for Super Bowl Sunday, radio can help food and beverage retailers score. These local retailers can help consumers tackle their shopping list by using radio and informing them of where to go to purchase whatever they need for the game.
