Marketing News of the Week: Super Bowl Is Hours Away and More

This week, there were many news stories with marketing and personal branding overtones.

#MUSEUMBOWL23
With the Super Bowl game and expensive ads on everyone’s minds, there are also friendly wagers. The Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City have kicked off #MuseumBowl23 because a battle for art masterpieces will also be at play. In the wager, the winning city’s museum will receive the other museum’s painting on loan.

ZOO WAGERS
According to the Philadelphia Zoo, “Here’s the wager: If the Eagles win, “Polar Mahomes” has to sport some Eagles gear. If the Chiefs win, we’ll give our iconic elephant statue some Chiefs gear to wear.”

GOVERNOR WAGERS
Mike Parson, Governor of Missouri, a lifelong Chiefs fan and 57th Governor of Missouri, met with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro. Here’s the wager: The Governor of the losing team will fly the other team’s flag at its state capitol. Parson also made a prediction for the final score: 30-27 Chiefs victory.

Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania also made a wager with Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas. He said that if the Chiefs win, he will send Philly’s finest soft pretzels, cheesesteaks, and Eagles mini donuts.

Governor Laura Kelly responded that she would clean out her refrigerator so it would have plenty of space for all the Philadelphia goodies she’ll receive if the Eagles lose the Super Bowl. She also said she would throw in two of her favorite things from Kansas: Creekstone Farms black angus beef and chocolate-covered sunflower seeds.

MAYOR WAGERS
Quinton Lucas, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, offered up some famous Gates BBQ, Boulevard Beer, Charlie Hustle Company shirts, and coffee from the Roasterie to the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney. He also made a forecast of the big game’s final score: 27-24 Chiefs victory. Mayor Kenney responded by saying, “It’s a deal. I’m proud to wager a couple of Philly favorites: a large pie from Down North Pizza, and a six-pack from Philly Brewing. And if our Eagles win, you can make a donation to MANNA Nourishes (a nonprofit that is revolutionizing healthcare through nutrition using the power of food as medicine).”

DEATH OF BURT BACHARACH
When you see raindrops falling, the song, “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” probably goes through your mind. This week, composer and songwriter Burt Bacharach passed away at age 94 – the composer of that timeless song as well as countless others. According to CNN, “One of the biggest and most impactful hits was “That’s What Friends Are For,” the charity collaboration between Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder that topped the charts in 1986 and raised millions for AIDS research.”

Bacharach’s songs were emblematic of many eras, and his talent will be missed.

PASSING OF A BASKETBALL TORCH
This week, Los Angeles Lakers legend or GOAT, LeBron James, broke the NBA all-time scoring record and surpassed LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, whose record stood for 39 years. The passing of the torch was witnessed on the basketball court when Abdul-Jabbar handed a basketball to James. According to James, “The scoring record was something I never made a goal of mine or set out to do – it just happened…and I credit great teammates and great coaches that allowed me to be me.”

Many basketball fans refer to King James as the greatest player of all time – will this latest accomplishment affect his personal brand and how he is marketed?

PRESIDENT BIDEN’S STATE OF THE UNION
President Joe Biden gave his second State of the Union speech in the House chamber in Washington, D.C., on February 7. Even in the face of open hostility, his message was one of optimism, which was witnessed when he said he looked forward to working to new House Speaker Republican Kevin McCarthy, “Mr. Speaker, I don’t want to ruin your reputation, but I look forward to working together.”

How will collaboration be marketed in American politics versus divisiveness? Will one or the other be attached to specific politicians and their personal brands?

ANOTHER EGOT
The ultimate award in Hollywood is achieving an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony (also known as an EGOT). There are 18 actors, producers, directors, and composers who have earned all four. This week, Viola Davis joined the select group when she won a Grammy for an audio book that she explained, “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola. To honor her life, her joy, her trauma, everything. And it has just been such a journey – I just got an EGOT!”

How will Viola Davis’ latest award impact her future roles and personal brand?

BUDWEISER’S CLYDESDALES
Alas, the famous Budweiser Clydesdales – and favorite brand spokes animals – will not appear in any ads this year. However, four Clydesdales born in January and named Barron, Seargeant, Stinger, and Razor, will host a Super Bowl party that is already sold out. Called the “Football and Foals SBLVII Super Bowl Watch Party,” the celebration marks the first time that Anheuser-Busch has hosted a bash at Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Missouri. This ranch is located 140 miles west of St. Louis and is the official breeding facility of the Budweiser Clydesdales. Football fans who purchased a $100 ticket for the event get to meet and take photos with the four foals while watching the Super Bowl game. According to the St. Louis Dispatch, these young horses could make a future Budweiser ad.

Budweiser has used Clydesdales in its advertising since 1933. Who doesn’t recall the Budweiser ad in the 2002 Super Bowl when the horses knelt down while looking toward where the World Trade Towers stood in New York City?

Here’s the ad called “Respect”: https://youtu.be/1MZUvib98Rs.

What will we be talking about after the Super Bowl? Which brand will win the Brand Bowl, also known as the Ad Bowl? Will you be following and commenting on the ads in real time on Twitter, as in years past? Will you use Mastodon? Will the ads out score the big game? Tune in next week for some Monday morning quarterbacking about the ads.

Image Credits: Budweiser and Los Angeles Lakers.