Scoring with Super Bowl sales

Super Bowl XLIX is fast approaching. It is time for grocers to draw up a winning game plan to capitalize on the opportunity.

Last year about 111.5 million people watched the Seattle Seahawks defeat the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII, a good many at parties in which the game is no longer the main attraction. More often than not, festive culinary spreads are the real draw for Super Bowl party guests.

The New York Times has already reported that as of November marketers for major brands have been busy preparing commercials and other promotions for the upcoming Super Bowl. This should be a cue that it is time for grocers to get in gear, as well. With so many people throwing parties and “tailgates” at home, the Super Bowl is one holiday that if executed properly can lead to a hefty spike in weekly sales for grocery retailers.

When it comes to major sales surrounding the Super Bowl, carrying the right portfolio of products paired with a properly merchandised selection may be just what grocers need to win the day.

Both the timing of the big game and increased consumer focus on personal wellness will affect how consumers shop for the Super Bowl, say industry observers. Although wings, chips and sour cream-based dips will always be football-viewing staples, many party hosts are attempting to balance the score by putting healthier options on the table as well—which is where the produce section comes into play.

“When you look at the timing of the Super Bowl, everyone is going to start their diet on January 1 or 2, and then a couple of weeks later you are plowing into one of the largest food parties of the year,” says Jennifer Sawyer, marketing/pr guac squad squawker for Fresherized Food’s Wholly Guacamole brand, based in Saginaw, Texas. “I think people do want to maintain that level of great party food, and not feel like they are missing out on that aspect, but still feel like they are feeding their bodies nutritiously, too.”

For this reason, produce is coming off the sidelines and finding itself in the center of the Super Bowl action. The vegetable tray is one item that has secured its spot in most hosts’ spreads for good.

“A big game spread is hardly complete without some fresh-cut vegetables to balance out the variety of snacking options,” says Cali Tanguay, director of marketing for Guadalupe, Calif.-based Apio. One of Apio’s brands, Eat Smart, is coming out with a vegetable tray sporting a Big Game football-themed label that also includes meat, cheese, dip and turkey bites. She says well-paired items like this that include a variety of complementary offerings have a better chance of making it into the party host’s shopping cart.

Merchandising something like an appealing vegetable tray at the front of the produce section is a great way to draw shoppers into the section, observers say. From there, it is up to the individual retailer to make sure they have properly stocked and promoted the rest of the produce area’s contents.

There is an abundance of ways to pair produce items in a way that will intrigue consumers and in turn lead to a fuller shopping cart when they are heading to the checkout aisle. Onions, for example, could easily be overlooked when planning a tailgating party. Integrating onions with other items that consumers will not forget will keep them top-of-mind, say observers. 

“We encourage our retail partners to merchandise sweet onions alongside related produce items such as tomatoes and avocados and utilize recipe-related signage to bring excitement to the produce section,” says Adam Brady, director of marketing for Reidsville, Ga.-based Shuman Produce. 

Pairing produce with non-produce items may be the secret to getting those consumers not focused on health to purchase items they were not originally planning on. “Retailers can build Super Bowl displays in the produce aisle that give their customers new and fresh ideas for ‘homegating,’” says Sherise Jones, marketing director for Parma, Idaho-based USA Onions. “Photos and recipe ideas for Super Bowl favorites like pizzas and hamburgers that include healthy toppings and sides are easy ways to draw Super Bowl fans to the produce section.”

Pass the protein

Apio’s Big Game vegetable tray capitalizes on another shift in Super Bowl snacking—the move to turkey. With its proven health benefits and lower caloric nature, turkey products have seen a surge in popularity.

“There were people who said ‘I’m not going to eat sausage because it’s full of fat,’” says Jeff Weber, brand manager of Sheboygan, Wis.-based Old Wisconsin. “Then, they see there is a variety of that product that they used to like, that they cannot or will not eat anymore. But all of a sudden, the bright light of turkey has shined on it and they’re back into the category.” Some of the most popular Pinterest pins include healthier versions of items like Super Bowl Chili, made lower calorie by using ground turkey, observers add.

Which is not to say that turkey is the only kind of protein that party hosts will serve this February. Traditional grilling items like hamburgers and hot dogs will always be on the menu, regardless of health concerns, because the Super Bowl is seen as a special occasion and consumers are willing to splurge a little bit in terms of both calories consumed and dollars spent.

Observers say grocers should focus on offering the right assortment of protein options to satisfy every consumer, which, should include an array of the upscale comfort food items that are currently very on-trend. “The Super Bowl is the perfect opportunity for a “Tailgate Inside,” says Jay Theiler, executive director of marketing for Boise, Idaho-based Agri Beef Co. “We will be working with our retail partners to feature our Snake River Farms items like American Kobe beef hamburgers and frankfurters as the ultimate Super Bowl protein items.” Throwing these types of higher-end party foods into the mix gives those interested shoppers the option to splurge, he adds.

Pairing protein with produce is another key strategy for boosting sales of both items, according to observers. “Sweet onions make the perfect pairing for burgers, sausage and chicken on the grill, and research shows that merchandising them together increases sales of both products,” adds Shuman Produce’s Brady.

Many party-throwers are content to offer tried-and-true products and flavors to their guests. However, the Super Bowl presents hosts with an opportunity to get creative with their spreads as well.

“People that are entertaining are not going in and just buying one dip, they’re buying multiple flavors,” says John Leonardo, senior brand manager for Elk Grove Village, Ill.-based Grecian Delight. “So making sure that there is the assortment of multiple item deals, whether it is a buy one get one free or buy one get 50% off, whatever the case may be, it is really important to offer those incentives to purchase.”

In addition to offering the incentive for larger purchases, retailers that are able to show consumers different ways to pair or serve featured products will capitalize on an increased incidence of impulse buys, observers note. Co-branding items is one simple, yet effective way to do this.

“Displays and cross promotions of complementary items work well to drive impulse sales,” says Alison Kellogg, brand manager for Litehouse Foods, based in Sandpoint, Idaho. “Bringing items from center store out to the perimeter, such as chips merchandised near refrigerated dips, can catch consumers’ attention and increase purchases during these types of events.”

Some retailers are taking it even further, with in-store demonstrations of how party hosts can serve different items at home. “We make a mega pretzel and are finding that the retailers are slicing it in half, making a large sandwich with it, placing it in a cake dome and adding mustard and butter to it in little cups, so it’s a takeaway product,” says Sandra Zanette, director of marketing and business development for Woodbridge, Ont., Canada-based Backerhaus Veit. “This is a perfect share item for the deli as opposed to having individual sandwiches.” Displays like this can prompt sales of single items that may not have been previously considered, or entice the consumer to re-create the entire thing at home, say observers.

The ever-popular trend toward convenience is another way that retailers can increase sales for the big day, note observers. A lot of time, money and preparation go into hosting a Super Bowl party, and when Super Bowl Sunday actually arrives, the party planners deserve to be able to sit back, relax and enjoy the event. This may mean buying more ready-to-serve options, or ones that do not require lots of prep work. Retailers that put the focus on ready-made party foods that are convenient for hosts to serve or guests to bring over are other ways to score extra sales dollars. This is especially true regarding Millennial hosts searching for quick and easy options, say observers.

Most agree that it is imperative for retailers to do a good job promoting their services to shoppers. “Getting the information out to consumers that you can do party trays, and you can use their branded products in different ways, whether it’s a menu builder, putting it in a flyer and saying here are the components for it—making it easy for consumers,” adds Backerhaus Veit’s Zanette.

Connecting out of bounds

In-store promotion is not the only effective way to hook a Super Bowl shopper. In fact, reaching the consumer before they get into the store might even be a more effective play. Often, party hosts and even guests looking to bring an item will begin searching for the perfect tailgating recipes months in advance. Social media sites like Pinterest have completely changed the way consumers find and share recipes. Consumers have entire Pinterest boards dedicated to Super Bowl entertaining where they have already started to store ideas for anything from what to cook to creative ways to upgrade their party. This means that attractive visuals are more important than ever in persuading the digital consumer to make a purchase, even in-store.

“Grocery retailers need to tap into the consumers’ desire to entertain for Super Bowl, and make it easy to create a menu that is different than pizza and wings,” says Howard Eirinberg, CEO of Glendale Heights, Ill.-based Kronos. “By tapping into food manufacturers’ resources, grocers can offer recipes and menu ideas via social media, their web site and other channels to entice consumers.”

Many manufacturers have done all the legwork when it comes to the ideas—grocers just have to tap into the opportunity. Wholly Guacamole, for example, puts a huge emphasis on Super Bowl entertaining at home. The brand has trademarked the term ‘homegating,’ and created a Homegating Headquarters website (homegatinghq.com) to give football (and just food) fans inspiration throughout playoff season and especially for the Super Bowl. The site is packed with recipes and how-to videos, all of which will be promoted through Wholly Guacamole’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts. The brand will also have a dedicated homegating Pinterest board that will be updated with current recipes, including a sweet potato burrito and homemade cheese sauce. 

Avocados from Mexico is also working on capturing its consumer on the web. “We are launching our new website in which one of the main segments is the Guacopedia, where consumers, retailers and partners can visit to get all the relevant information around this popular dish and access a great variety of recipes and uses for their football events,” says Alvaro Luque, president of Irving, Texas-based Avocados from Mexico. Observers say guacamole is one dish predicted to make an appearance at just about every Super Bowl celebration, giving Avocados from Mexico a massive potential consumer database to tap into before the shopper heads into the store.

The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) is another company that has found success connecting with consumers outside of the store to promote its produce for game day. Jamie Bowen, marketing manager for the Eagle, Idaho-based IPC, says that in addition to dedicating a section of its website to tailgating recipes and videos, every year the IPC sponsors the Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, and commissions the Big Idaho Potato Truck to spread the word about heart healthy potatoes to tailgate with. This year, IPC created a video featuring ESPN sideline reporter Heather Cox and food blogger Sara O’Donnell of Average Betty. The pair created two festive, tailgate-ready recipes, Bacon Blitz Potato Skewers and Touchdown Dance Potato Soup. Observers say that in the digital age, the creative, shareable names of the dishes can also go a long way to hooking the consumer.

USA Onions will be flooding its social channels with lots of unique Super Bowl recipe ideas, says Jones. The organization will also sponsor a Facebook contest around the Super Bowl in order to excite existing fans and gain new ones.

Retailers too can look to Pinterest and other similar sites for inspiration on merchandising in a way that will be meaningful to the consumer. “We encourage our retail partners to take the concept from the screen to the produce aisle and merchandise everything that’s needed to construct a healthy dip or a creative and better-for-you hors d’oeuvre,” says Shuman Produce’s director of marketing Adam Brady.

Companies that have a strong, targeted web presence will certainly have an advantage when it comes to competition in the aisles, say observers. When consumers are making shopping lists before heading to the store, these products will have a stronger chance of making the cut from the get-go, thanks to the sense of trust and brand recognition instilled from marketing efforts.

It is not just food manufacturers and retailers working to hype up the at-home tailgating aspect of the Super Bowl and football season. The NFL has even taken this term so far as to create a Homegating App, allowing users to send party invitations, bookmark recipes, post tweets, upload pictures and more.