Behind Sony’s new NFL deal and its burgeoning influencer strategy

With an eye on highlighting contributions its technologies already bring to the game of football—and leveraging players to move to its consumer products—Sony is signing on as an official technology partner of the NFL and the official headphones of the league. The multiyear deal is Sony’s first NFL sponsorship, Sony executives said. Financial terms were not disclosed. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs The deal gives Sony high-visibility branding on coach headsets beginning in 2025, and a range of football influencers to push its headphones with new content breaking today. The NFL had been without an official headset and headphone brand since a deal with Bose expired in 2022. Sony envisions NFL players as influencers who can help the brand sell more headphones. Social content developed by the brand shows how players such as Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers use Sony audio equipment off the field, as a means to tune out distractions and relax, or get themselves fired up to compete. Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers, Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions and Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens are also featured. Maya Wasserman, director of marketing for home entertainment, personal entertainment and brand marketing for Sony, likened Sony’s approach to what the brand already does with a community of audio ambassadors and influencers for its “For the Music” platform. “We’re leveraging our brand to build on those passions, and we know so many of our customers are NFL fans as well,” Wasserman said. “So it’s making that connection in a sports area.” Sony is no stranger to brand partnerships, having worked with popular artists Olivia Rodrigo, Peso Pluma and Childish Gambino. Sony takes the pro’s understanding and appreciation for its products and then finds a way to channel that love toward consumers, according to Jordy Freed, director of brand and business development for personal entertainment at Sony America. Sony’s partnership with Childish Gambino, for example, kicked off when the brand learned he is a big fan of the classic Sony Walkman. That led to Sony helping to put on a “Close Friends” concert for Gambino’s new album, “Bando Stone” in New York on July 6. Freed said that Gambino then asked if he could make Walkman-related content for Sony, which is now on the brand’s Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bando Stone (@bandostone) “Ultimately, it’s about the fan-artist connection,” Freed said. “I think we stand out because we are a brand that is part of the music-making and the music consumption.” He points to the brand’s work with Rodrigro, who used Sony headphones in the studio to record her album “Sour.” She partnered with Sony on a limited-edition line of headphones that were tuned by Rodrigo herself so that fans would hear the album exactly as she intended. The deals come as Sony looks to gain ground in the headphone/earphone market, where Apple has dominated, including with its Beats by Dre products. Also: The top 5 music campaigns to know about right now Expanding technologies Sony and the NFL stated they would work together to expand Sony’s sports technologies such as Hawk-Eye Innovations, a division of the company that harnesses multiple cameras to enhance replay capabilities. Hawk-Eye beginning this season will also be used to enhance “line-to-gain” measurements, or ball spotting, on the field. Hawk-Eye has already worked with the NFL, including with technology that helped power last season’s “Toy Story” game on Disney+, which involved turning a Falcons-Jaguars game into an animated affair with characters from the movie franchise. “For us, a big part of this partnership is being able to tell the story of the many ways that Sony is behind the NFL. And we haven’t been able to tell that story publicly before because we haven’t been an official partner,” Matt Parnell, head of brand/community marketing and imaging solutions for Sony, said in an interview. Sony also provides cameras and production capabilities to NFL broadcasts, is a key equipment provider for the new NFL Network studios in Inglewood, California, and is the camera provider to the Associated Press, which provides NFL imagery, Parnell said. “We want them to know that when they’re watching the game, whether in the stadium or at home, we’re a part of bringing that experience to them,” Wasserman said. Sony will also get premium brand exposure on coach’s headsets, beginning in 2025, when that product is ready to launch, Parnell said. “We see sports as a major opportunity for us moving forward as a company,” Parnell said. “We’re very integrated into all these top sports already. But our big commitment is in creating the future of sports with technology.” Sony executives said a portion of the NFL partnership represents new marketing expenditures for the company. Parts will be integrated into existing campaigns such as “For the Music,” they said. Wasserman said the company was “exploring” whether it would advertise on NFL games or run a Super Bowl commercial. According to Ad Age’s Super Bowl ad archive database, Sony last advertised in the Super Bowl in 2003. “We’re exploring all the channels where you can show up and we’re definitely wanting to share this message loudly,” Wasserman said. See all of the 2024 Small Agency award winners here

Behind Sony’s new NFL deal and its burgeoning influencer strategy

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