‘Far more accessible and affordable’
Brands are already partnering with influencers on sponsored social media content at a higher rate for this year’s Super Bowl than last year, according to data from influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy. The agency has tracked a 55% year-over-year increase in mentions of the Big Game across both sponsored and organic posts across social media in the weeks leading up to the game. Billion Dollar Boy attributes at least one-third of that jump, or roughly 18%, to an increase in sponsored posts tied to the Big Game.
“There’s only a certain number of spots in the game, but there are tons of brands who want to engage audiences around the Super Bowl,” said Ed East, founder and CEO of Billion Dollar Boy. “So, digital creators are a far more accessible and affordable route where you can have comparative impact. Traditional celebrities, because of their recognizability on a national level across all age groups, are still dominating on TV, but I think we’ll only see a rise [of creators] on digital.”
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Invisalign is another brand teaming up with influencers for pregame social content. Though the brand has partnered with the NFL itself for several years and featured football players across its Super Bowl marketing, Invisalign is pivoting its social strategy this year to focus on Gen Z female consumers, said Kamal Bhandal, VP of global brand and consumer marketing for Invisalign.
Earlier this season, the brand partnered with designer Kristin Juszczyk, who this week secured a licensing deal with the NFL after a Kansas City Chiefs jacket she made for Taylor Swift went viral. Juszczyk will be creating content for Invisalign in the lead-up to the Super Bowl, too, Bhandal said. The brand, a title sponsor of the NFL Honors awards ceremony, is also bringing on Megan Patricia, aka “Overtime Megan,” to serve as Invisalign’s red carpet correspondent, she said.