I have just landed back in New York after spending 3 days in San Francisco for Super Bowl 50. I have been fortunate enough to attend several global sporting events, but I have not seen an event of the scale, sophistication and polish of Super Bowl. Below are some thoughts relating to Brand Activations and Security at the Super Bowl.

1. ACTIVATION: IT’S SIMPLE AND SOCIAL

The overriding theme for activations both at the stadium and the Super Bowl City sponsorship precinct was simplicity. Provide an idea that can be executed quickly and encourage social media sharing. The quality of the activation builds was impressive (as you would expect) but the ideas at their core were simple. Allow fans to take a shot that they will cherish and more importantly share. The trick however, is to create a great photo opportunity that says something about your brand.

Hyundai exemplified this concept well with their gold car. Picking up on the gold theme of Super Bowl 50, the car in their activations area became a popular photo opportunity for fans.

Bud Light created some clever activations that were also popular with fans with the #myteamcan concept.

The NFL  provided activations at Levis Stadium for general fan engagement that were again simple, yet effective.

In the spirit of everything being a data opportunity, SAP captured the results from the sponsor activations at Super Bowl City. These results were then tabulated and communicated on a large screen. So in real time, we got to see which fans were the most adept at the various sponsor activations.

2. GAME DAY SECURITY – THE NEXT ACTIVATION OPPORTUNITY

The overriding theme for activations both at the stadium and the Super Bowl City sponsorship precinct was simplicity. Provide an idea that can be executed quickly and encourage social media sharing. The quality of the activation builds was impressive (as you would expect) but the ideas at their core were simple. Allow fans to take a shot that they will cherish and more importantly share. The trick however, is to create a great photo opportunity that says something about your brand.

Brands are always looking at ways of adding value to the sport and entertainment experience. As an industry, perhaps we need to look at ways of entertaining and engaging fans as they pass through security screening. This approach would be similar to how Disney employs “queue strategies” to entertain theme park patrons as they wait for popular rides.

Tomorrow – Technology and Music at the Super Bowl