The Advertising Behind the Virtual NFL Draft
The first-ever virtual NFL Draft happened last night, and in my opinion, it went off without a hitch. There were guest singers, live streams out of players’ homes, every coach and manager was streamed in, and it was hosted from ESPN Studios with Roger Goodell via satellite.
The first round of the NFL draft was broadcasted live on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network, which made it difficult for advertisers as they would have to buy commercials on three channels, and in a program that is always “on the clock,” advertisers had to get convenient sneaking in their advertising.
One way I noticed was the “Bud Light Seltzer Huddle” that was displayed as the ESPN Hosts were converged on the screen at once, and this would have been purchased as a part of the show rather than a typical 30-second commercial.
Another way that was almost painfully obvious was the Bose headphones placement. Every time they cut to the live stream of one of the athletes, they were wearing massive Bose headphones, and in their live parent interviews, they were wearing Bose earbuds, meaning that Bose had shipped headphones to every potential first-round draft pick. While this is a potentially expensive option, the recognition and Twitter discussion originated by these placements put Bose and Bud Light on top of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Oklahoma WR and Cowboys first round pick CeeDee Lamb wears Bose Headphones as he answers the call from Jerry Jones.