Super Bowl 2012
Retail Promotions
February, 2012
What You Need to Know About
Super Bowl Retail Promotions
• Copyright restraints keep retailers from promoting the Super Bowl by
name. Most make general references to “the big game”.
• Old El Paso, Hidden Valley and Ortega are just some of the brands showing
nearly four times as many ads for Super Bowl week compared with an
average week.
• For many small brands, Super Bowl week defines their year. Brands such
Amoy, Cardiff Cellars, Jim’s Organic and Poppers advertise more than 50%
of their yearly circular ads during Super Bowl week.
• Other brands decide to go all in on FSI coupons. Newman’s Own, Cape
Cod Chips run their only coupons during Super Bowl week.
• Super Bowl TV ads are not coordinated with retail promotions. Many
food TV spots have no connection to retail circular ads.
• Retailers downplay their private brands for the Super Bowl. Super Bowl
week traditionally ranks dead last in private brand ad support.
2
Super Bowl Tie-Ins Vary Across Supermarkets
Kroger – 1/29/2012
No Super Bowl Tie-In
on Front Cover –
Page 2 features
“Game Day Greats”
Safeway – 2/1/2012
Visual Front Cover
Super Bowl Tie-Ins
Including Daily Deals
Publix – 2/1/2012
Super Bowl Theme for
13 of 16 Pages Including
Front & Back Covers
Plus a Slider Recipe
3
Super Bowl Sales Events in the Mass Channel
Walmart– 1/29/2012
Super Bowl Theme on 6
of 20 Pages.
2.5 Pages on TVs/Video,
2.5 on Party Food, and
1.0 on BBQ/Kitchen
Appliances
Target– 1/29/2012
Like Walmart, Front
Cover Shows Half Food
& Half Electronics.
Super Bowl Theme
Limited Mainly to Front
& Back Covers.
Also at Walmart Two Full Pages of
Baseball Equipment???
Target’s back cover is
focused on party foods.
4
Super Bowl Sales Events in Other Retail Channels
CVS – 1/29/2012
Less than of third of
the CVS front cover is
tied to the Super Bowl.
Walgreens – 1/29/2012
About half of front cover
is tied to Super Bowl.
Page 2 includes ad for Bud
Light Platinum, a new
brand featured in a Super
Bowl TV Spot.
Dollar General
1/29/2012
Total front cover is
tied to Super Bowl.
Menard’s - 1/29/2012
Home improvement
retailer with front cover
featuring salsa, chips,
sausage and a turkey fryer.
5
Some Retailers Choose to Repeat Last Year’s Circulars
Safeway 2-1-2011
Safeway 2-2-2012
A closer look shows
some big price increases
on featured products.
6
Walgreens Features Super Bowl Theme in 2012
Walgreens 1-30-2011
Walgreens 1-29-2012
No Front Cover Super
Bowl Tie-In for 2011.
For 2012, Half of the
Front Cover Tied to
Super Bowl Theme.
7
Copyright Fears Keep Retailers from
Promoting the Super Bowl by Name
Retail Banner
Shop 'n Save
Wal-Mart
Schnucks
Safeway
Bloom
Dillons
Stop & Shop
Meijer
Hannaford
Kmart
Lucky
Target
Kroger
Econo Foods
Stop & Shop
A&P
Super Bowl Event
Kickoff
Game Time
Super SAVINGS!
Joy of Foodball
Football Frenzy
Game Day Greats
Game Day Savings!
Make it Super
Football Frenzy
Football Frenzy
Game Day Heroes
Big-Play Savings
Game Day Greats
Touchdown Savings
Gigantic Game Sale
Big Game Favorites
Retail Banner
Adams
Brookshire's
Market Basket
CVS
Fry's Foods
Redner's
ACME
Lunds
ShopRite
Food 4 Less
King Kullen
Walgreens
EW James
Aldi
Stater Bros.
Price Rite
Super Bowl Event
Game Day Super Sale
Game Day Essentials
Big Game Snack Sale
Save on the BIG GAME!
Game Day Celebration!
The Big Game Meal Deal
Game on Big Game Savings
Finger food at its finest.
Get The Big Party Started!
A Super Line-Up of Savings!
BIG GAME Party Headquarters
Big Savings for the Big Game!
Get your BIG GAME Party Started
Start the Big Game with low prices
Shop for the Biggest Game of the Year
Score BIG with Big Bowl Party Favorites
8
By comparison, Doritos index
at 166 – or 66% higher than
an average week.
Major Food Brands Spiking
Ads for the Super Bowl
Ad Count Index – Super Bowl Week Ending 2/4/12 Vs. 52-Week Average
Ro*Tel Tomatoes
Lawry's
Wonderful Pistachios
Old El Paso
Hidden Valley
Ortega
532
Sweet Baby Ray's
356
Philadelphia
349
T.G.I. Friday's
344
Velveeta
342
Marzetti's
339
Hellmann's
337
465
437
Ro*Tel has 5x as
399 many ads for
Super Bowl week
394
compared to an
377 average week.
Valentine
Russell Stover
364
Heinz
329
Valentine
Vlasic
363
Dove Chocolate
324
Miracle Whip
360
Planters
322
Orville Redenbacher's
359
Lipton
316
9
Over Three Times as Many
Ads for Party Platters on
Super Bowl Week.
Top Food Sub-Categories
Promoted for the Super Bowl
Ad Count Index – Super Bowl Week Ending 2/4/12 Vs. 52-Week Average
Deli Dips & Spreads
Party Platters/Trays
Avocado
Refrigerated Dips
Poultry/Wings
Salsa/Dips (Shelf Stable)
Barbeque/Steak Sauces
Mayonnaise
Snack Nuts & Seeds
Ketchup
Mustard
Gravies, Sauces
377
344
332
292
291
278
281
257
224
219
219
214
Meat Snacks
Cauliflower
Sour Cream
Canned Beans
Sandwich & HD Buns
Pickles & Olives
Limes
Poultry/Fried
Sandwiches (Store-Prepared)
Tomato Sauces\Paste
Prepared Foods (Refrigerated)
206
205
201
198
197
196
189
184
181
180
178
Excludes Candy (promoted for Valentines Day)
10
Platter Wars – How Supermarkets Differentiate
Super Bowl party platters allow supermarkets to feature
their deli & produce departments to create a differential
advantage vs. mass and drug competitors selling food.
For Some Smaller Food Brands,
The Super Bowl Defines Their Year
Brands Running 50% or More of Annual Ads on Super Bowl
Brand Name
Alberts
Amoy
Bridgford
Cactus Coolers
Cardiff Cellars
Graham's
Hanna
Hendrick's
Hengstenberg
Hinsdale Farms
Manufacturer Name
Alberts
Amoy Food Limited
Bridgford Foods
Dr. Pepper Snapple
Cardiff Vineyards
Symington Family Ests
Terlato Wine Group
William Grant & Sons
Rich. Hengstenberg
Hinsdale Farms
Brand Name
Jesse Dalton's
Jim's Organic
La Fortaleza
Macayo
Pearls
Poppers
Tasty Brand
Trentadue
Warre's Warrior
Yoplait Asana
Manufacturer Name
Best Maid Products
Jim's Organic Coffee
La Fortaleza Inc.
Fiesta Canning
Musco Olive
H.J. Heinz Co., L.P.
TastyBaby, LLC
Trentadue Winery
Vineyard Brands
Aliments Breton
50%+ of Circular Ads Running on Week Ending 2/4/2012
12
Betting it All on Super Bowl FSIs
For smaller brands, a successful FSI can make or break their year. Free standing
inserts (FSIs) allow a brand to stand out and differentiate with unique attributes,
recipes and coupons.
Blue Diamond, Pace, Ortega,
and Velveeta each run one of
their two annual FSIs for the
Super Bowl.
Newman’s Own and Cape Cod
Potato Chips run their only annual
FSI for the Super Bowl.
Brands like Planters, Frigo, Jolly Time, & Johnsonville
each commit a third of their FSIs to the Super Bowl.
13
Coordinating FSIs with Retail Ad Support
Weekly Retail Ad Counts
Strong Ad Support with
Velveeta
150
Velveeta Super Bowl FSI
100 Back-to-School FSI Also
Aligned with Ad Support
50
2/4/2012
1/14/2012
12/24/2011
12/3/2011
11/12/2011
10/22/2011
10/1/2011
9/10/2011
8/20/2011
7/30/2011
7/9/2011
6/18/2011
One FSI Per Year on 1/22/12
Unrelated to Retail Ad Support
5/28/2011
5/7/2011
4/16/2011
3/26/2011
3/5/2011
Newman's Own
2/12/2011
0
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
14
Pre-Super Bowl Circular Ads Week Ending 2/4
Many Super Bowl TV Ads Are Not
Coordinated with Retail Promotions
Coca-Cola
Coke share of soda ads
declined Pre-Super Bowl.
Bud Light Platinum
Only 19% of Bud Light ads
included the Platinum
brand extension.
Pepsi Max
Only 8% of PepsiCo soda ads
mention Pepsi Max by name.
Doritos
Doritos share of corn/tortilla chip
ads declined Pre-Super Bowl.
Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt
Only 11% of Dannon ads
mention Oikos by name.
Skechers
Only 3 Retailers Ran PreSuper Bowl Ads for Skechers.
15
Private brand ad support is
tied to demand for ad space.
High demand for Pre-Super
Bowl circular ads creates less
room for store brands.
Retailers Pull Back on Private
Brand Ads for the Super Bowl
Private Brand Share of
Supermarket Food Promotions
19.4%
15.8%
18.5%
15.3%
15.7%
11.6%
Calendar
Year 2009
Super
Bowl
Week
Ending
2/6/10
Calendar
Year 2010
Super
Bowl
Week
Ending
2/5/11
Calendar
Year 2011
Super
Bowl
Week
Ending
2/4/12
16
Supermarket Social Media Super Bowl Tie-Ins Lacking
Lucky: Friday, February 03, 2012
The Bay Area is a mecca for professional
sports. Do you have a favorite spot
where you're going to watch the Big
Game this weekend?
Sweetbay: Monday, January 30, 2012
46 games, and no one’s topped Da Bears’
Shuffle. What would your dream team’s
dance number be?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glC9tlxilfc
Fred Meyer: Saturday, February 04, 2012
Wouldn't it be awesome to watch this
Sunday's big game chance! Come in today
and score a 60" 600Hz 1080P Plasma HDTV
for only 899.99! (Reg. 1499.99— you save
$600!) This deal is so hot, we can't even
mention the brand name, but it's a famous
one you trust for quality. Come check it
out! on a super-crisp HUGE screen?
Shoprite : Friday, February 03, 2012
Big Game Hypothetical: Super Saturday
instead of Sunday? Discuss ...
Most Supermarket Retailers have been slow to adapt to
Facebook and Twitter and then post relevant content to
their core female customer. Huge opportunity for CPG
brands to step in and assist.
17
Target & Wal-Mart Super Bowl Tie-Ins
Make good Use of Social Media
Wal-Mart Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Make game time gatherings a breeze. Try our
new Marketside Trifeasta pizza, breadstick
and wing combo for a quick and easy crowd
pleaser, just $9.98.
Wal-Mart Friday, February 03, 2012
You'll want to put this on your
playbook: head into your local store
tomorrow for samples of game time
goodies! Walmart.com - Walmart
Game Time Sampling Event - I
Target: Sunday, January 29, 2012
It’s up, it’s good! All TVs on sale:
http://tgt.bz/6036Rx86
Plus an additional 10% off with the
purchase of an HDMI Cable:
http://tgt.bz/6037Rx8B
Mass retailers are using social media to announce specific
promos to their core audience in a timely fashion.
18
Promoted Pricing Types Across Key Supermarkets
Key retailers use similar promotion types for
Super Bowl week compared to previous 52 weeks.
Kroger
Promo Type
Safeway
Albertson's (SVU)
Meijer
Target
Current Wk Ending Current Wk Ending Current Wk Ending Current Wk Ending Current Wk Ending
52-Weeks 2/4/2012 52-Weeks 2/4/2012 52-Weeks 2/4/2012 52-Weeks 2/4/2012 52-Weeks 2/4/2012
Price Point
65%
68%
77%
81%
70%
68%
53%
49%
65%
61%
X/For
32%
28%
18%
15%
27%
28%
44%
47%
30%
33%
% Off
0%
0%
2%
1%
1%
2%
1%
2%
4%
6%
B1G1
1%
1%
2%
2%
1%
2%
1%
1%
Other
2%
3%
1%
1%
1%
<1%
<1%
19
Lowest U.S. Prices on Super Bowl Snack & Beverages
Retailer
Snacks
Redner's Markets
Acme Markets
Dollar Tree
Save-A-Lot
Aldi
CVS
Save-A-Lot
Meijer
Walgreens
Meijer
Beverages
Redner's Markets
Save-A-Lot
Walgreens
King's County Mart
Redner's Markets
Walgreens
Western Beef
Fred Meyer Stores
Ad Price
Product Description
Size
$0.89
$1.00
$1.00
10/$10.00
$1.19
4/$5.00
$1.49
3/$5.00
2/$4.00
2/$5.00
Redner's Crunchies Pretzels
Herr's Potato Chips,
Pringles Potato Crisps
Lay's Stax Potato Chips
Clancy's Tortilla Chips
Frito Lay Doritos
Senora Verde Tortilla Chips
Ritz and Triscuit Crackers
Blue Diamond Snack Nuts
Planters Nuts
20 oz.
3.75 - 5.25 oz.
4.9 oz.
5.5-5.75 oz.
13 oz.
3.25-5.5 oz.
13 oz.
5-15 oz.
6 oz.
16 oz.
$0.69
$0.85
$0.98
4/$10.00
4/$10.00
$5.99
$7.99
$8.99
Super Chill Soft Drinks
Save-A-Lot Soft Drinks
Pepsi Products
Assorted Soda Brands
Pepsi Products
Playa De La Cruz Beer
Miller High Life
Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer
2 ltr.
2 ltr.
2 ltr.
12 oz. 12 pk.
12 oz. 12 pk.
12 oz. 6-pk
12 oz. 12 pk.
12 oz. 12 pk.
Source: ECRM’s Hot Price Tracker, Pre-Super Bowl week ending 2/4/2012
20
Lowest U.S. Prices on Super Bowl
Dipping & Disposables
Retailer
Ad Price
Condiments/Salsa/Dips/Ingredients
Aldi
$0.49
Acme Markets
$0.99
Meijer
$0.99
Meijer
$0.99
Stop & Shop
10/$10.00
Acme Markets
$1.69
Platters & Trays
Meijer
Pathmark
A&P
$2.99
$3.99
$6.99
Disposable Cups, Plates, Napkins
Pathmark
$0.99
Dollar Tree
$1.00
Dollar Tree
$1.00
Product Description
Size
Avocado
Kraft and Bull's-Eye BBQ Sauces
Dean's Refrigerated Dips
Chi-Chi's Salsa
French's Mustard
Heinz Ketchup
1 ct.
18 oz.
12-16 oz.
16 oz.
12 oz.
40 oz.
Organic Vegetable Platter
Pre-Cut Fruit Platter
Great Lakes Cheese Platter
16 oz.
1 lb.
16 oz.
Disposable Cups
Disposable Plates
Disposable Cups, Napkins
51 ct.
30 ct.
160 ct.
Source: ECRM’s Hot Price Tracker, Pre-Super Bowl week ending 2/4/2012
21
Methodology & Details
Report Methodology
• Retail ad support measured by number of ad blocks in retailer print circulars.
• “Pre-Super Bowl” week includes week ending 2/4/2012
More About ECRM’s MarketGate Ad Comparisons
Web Site: www.AdCompare.MarketGate.com
Studies on Seasonal & Category Promotions: www.PromotionalReflections.com
Contacts:
Scott Whalley
Tom Pirovano
847-482-1793
440-528-0418
scott@ecrm.marketgate.com
tpirovano@ecrm.marketgate.com
Upcoming Events: http://adcompare.marketgate.com/Events/?y=2012
Snack, Beverage, & Grocery
2/20/2012 - 2/23/2012
Private Brand Foods
4/16/2012 - 4/19/2012
Fresh & Frozen Foods
4/17/2012 - 4/19/2012
Global Wine, Beer & Spirits
8/27/2012 - 8/29/2012