Goal line

The 2023 Super Bowl’s over-hyped commercials will look different this time around. Missing from the annual lineup: fan favorite Anheuser-Busch. No Budweiser Clydesdales?! Parent company AB InBev did not renew their exclusive category contract — a lucrative deal they’ve held for decades.

On top of that, Pizza Hut is no longer the official pizza sponsor of the league. Little Caesars slid into that spot. (You know you said it when you read their name: “Pizza! Pizza!” Marketing works.) And in another surprising move, Pepsi will not sponsor the game’s halftime show after inking that deal a decade ago.

Even though Super Bowl ratings continue to decline, there were companies ready to fill these slots. Molson Coors secured ad space for the February showdown. And the company isn’t ready to reveal which brands they’ll feature. Coors Light? (Maybe they’ll bring back Sam Elliott for the voice-over.) Miller Lite? (No bikinis, please.) Or the Topo Chico hard seltzer? (The number of hard seltzers in the market right now is dizzying. If they choose this brand, they better do something really extraordinary.)

According to a story in Marketing Brew, in-game exposure during the 2022 Super Bowl “translated to about $170 million in ‘equivalent media value,’” as reported in a joint study from Elevate Sports Ventures and AI company Hive.

Unless you won that recent billion-dollar Mega Millions jackpot, your marketing budget is a wee bit smaller than what's required for those Super Bowl spots. But fear not. You don’t need millions to have a good marketing program.

Check out our cover story on page 20 to see how three growers handle social media. On page 39, there’s a fascinating piece about some research that discovered online shoppers who see a product being virtually touched are more engaged and willing to pay more than if the item is displayed on its own. And flip to page 48 to learn seven effective content marketing strategies for a better customer experience.

Are you planning to beef up your social media presence in 2023? Maybe dabble in TikTok? Drop me a line and share your wins and pain points.