For those that follow NFL football, SuperBowl 43 is now less than 1 week away. On Sunday February 1, 2009, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be favored to beat the Arizona Cardinals. Since the NFL is a natural interest of mine, as is internet marketing, it would only seem natural for me to combine the 2 and tell you what I think of the NFL’s, Super Bowl online presence leading up to the big game.
So here goes.
Overall, I give the effort by the NFL a 8 / 10 on my internet marketing scale.
Here is what the NFL has done right to promote Super Bowl 43
1. The SuperBowl website ranks number 1 when I type in “Super Bowl” and variations of it.
What does this mean? Well since Google does profess to do everything through a computerized ‘algorithm’ then a lot of things must be done right by any site that wants to rank high. Specifically, there must be enough websites around the world linking to the domain ‘www.superbowl.com’ to cause Google to place it higher than other notable sites like, Wikipedia and NFL.com. Curiously, however, when I click on the first link “SuperBowl.com” it auto forwards to http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/43 . Link power?
2. The ‘Landing Page’ displayed gives me all the information that I need immediately.
If you read my earlier post on the importance of ‘Sales Funnels’ then you already know the importance dealing the most relevant content to website visitors to improve your bounce rate. When I land on the Super Bowl 43 page I can see images of the 2 teams that are playing – Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals. This is illustrated by also showing the 2 most notable players off of each team. Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Kurt Warner & Larry Fitzgerald.
The other thing I really like about this page is the video which begins playing right away. Too bad I had to close an Oreo cookie advertisement which popped up in front of it to watch it.
I also see the date, a live countdown plus links showing me how they got there, and further info that I can click into. I like that.
Here are the things the NFL is not doing well to promote their dedicated landing page
ADVERTISING! You are the NFL! You make BILLLIONS of dollars. I’m not sure why you have to clog the screen with an over bearing amount of advertising. Even if you do need to tell us that Cadillac and Home Depot are sponsoring the event, can you at least not let it dominate the page like it does? The top navigation has some great information in there. Too bad it is completely overwhelmed by the top banner advertisement.
See all the red in the image below? All advertising!
CONTENT below the top banner. No one will read this! It’s a mess. There are several different sized boxes and I do not know where to look. They will lose visitors in this section due to a lack of focus and design. The NFL could really have done a better job at telling the story.
Internet Marketing & the NFL
It is refreshing to see the attention that Internet marketing and website usability has gotten over the last couple of years. Business is now beginning to see the importance the medium can bring.
The NFL and the Super Bowl are the worlds biggest spectacle. Clearly, some good effort has been made at making this page and all the visits it will get effective. I like it overall. Is it a 10/10? No. Given the billion dollar industry the NFL owns, I would hope that we will see a 10/10 over the coming years.
Comments? Please tell us what you think below! We love to read your comments!
on
No one beats the Packers!
on
Good article, most informative.
on
You’ve put together a very refreshing read DJ. Came across lots of articles on Super Bowl but this one was different. Some sharp observations and wise suggestions in there. But I guess those ads will continue to have their spacious say. Dollars whichever way they come count, don’t they?
on
Every website owner have got big dreams of the success of their website after all they’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into it. Super bowl followed all the rules, they’ve kept their message clear and concise, and they’ve done a call to action. All these help their good rankings.
You have also done a ‘super bowling’ by linking these aspects with internet marketing 😀
on
It is interesting read! I can also join you in my passion towards NFL. Its quite amazing how you related it to internet marketing :). By the way the Super Bowl has done a commendable job in gaining an online following!
on
Great points made in this article, DJ. The NFL, however, is not the only sports beast in the world to throw an advertisement at you on the first page. The same tactic is also employed in the NHL as well, or at least in the case of our local Maple Leafs. Not all that surprising, though; we all know what a cash cow MLSE is turning into these days. I’ve discovered this first hand as a Toronto FC season ticket holder as well. All part of the same Toronto sports empire!
Makes me wonder, is SEO a sport, and how can it be sold to MLSE? 😀
Overall, though, I must agree on points made about the design and usability of the Super Bowl website. You would clearly expect more from the online marketing platform designed to promote probably the biggest sports event in the world — as a single event, anyway. Now, if you really want to scratch your head, imagine the focus groups, tech teams, marketing teams, pollsters and other groups of people who may have been involved in deciding just the LOOK of the website. Shocking, really, that they couldn’t come up with better. Really, I just find it looks boring :/