Everyone knows that NFL games represent the TV industry’s most coveted inventory for advertisers. But what about the ads that air before the games start?
While in-game spots have long been the go-to for many brands, recent EDO data suggests that pregame NFL ads also offer unique advantages to different kinds of brands — especially for advertisers looking to drive immediate consumer action. Here, we’ll dive into why pregame NFL ads are a powerful tool for advertisers, particularly those in the pizza and sports betting categories.
The power of NFL ads — before and during the game
The influence of TV advertising around NFL games can’t be overstated. EDO’s NFL TV Outcomes Report found that NFL programming accounted for five of this year’s 15 most impactful TV broadcasts for advertisers, and the NFL delivers almost 36 times more total ad engagement than the primetime average.
Across the board, this power extends to pregame ads. During the first six weeks of the 2024 season, NFL pregame ads were 12% more likely to drive consumer engagement than the average primetime ad, as measured by each ad’s ability to inspire the average viewer to search for the advertiser online or visit its website. Meanwhile, in-game ads were 16% more likely to drive engagement with viewers over the primetime average during that timespan.
Sports betting brands score big with pregame ads
The power of pregame is particularly pronounced among sports betting advertisers.
For instance, ads for sports betting brands like FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Caesars Sportsbook were 68% more likely to engage viewers than in-game ads and 85% more effective than the average sports betting ad on primetime TV. No wonder brands in this category have increased the number of pregame ads they run by 27% year-over-year.
To be clear, in-game ads are also effective in this category, with the average in-game sports betting spot generating 10% more per-person, per-second engagement than the average category ad in primetime.
Pizza brands serve piping hot pregame spots
When it comes to pizza, pregame ads are a game-changer, too. Through the first six weeks of the 2024 season, pizza ads during NFL pregame programming were 141% more effective than the average primetime pizza ad — and 3% more effective than in-game NFL ads.
Engagement rates for pizza brands are up across the board in the NFL, with top brands like Domino's, Little Caesars, Papa John's, and Pizza Hut outperforming the category’s primetime average with their NFL ads.
The two brands driving the greatest NFL advertising engagement in the pizza category? Little Caesars and Pizza Hut, which were 21% and 12% more effective than the average pizza brand advertising before and during NFL games, respectively.
In-game NFL ads were most effective for QSR advertisers
Pregame ads were fairly effective in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) category, but these brands found far greater performance with in-game advertising.
The average NFL pregame ad for QSR brands was 33% more effective than the average primetime ad in the category — but in-game ads were a staggering 120% more effective than the primetime benchmark. In other words, QSR brands were about 65% more effective advertising during NFL games than they were advertising beforehand.
The brands that drove the most engagement with in-game and pregame ads include Chick-fil-A — with a whopping 147% higher engagement in the NFL compared to the average QSR NFL advertiser — as well as KFC (+73%), Taco Bell (+62%) and Arby’s (+61%).
Play to win with EDO
NFL advertising is far too important for marketers to fumble. Visit edo.com/NFL to download EDO’s NFL TV Outcomes Report for a complete overview of what really drives results in NFL advertising — or check out our weekly rankings of the most effective NFL ads.