Allstate Hits College Football’s Goalpost Nets
Over Labor Day Weekend, college-football fans watching games on ESPN and ABC got a not-so-subliminal message before each field goal or point-after touchdown attempt: “You’re in good hands with Allstate.”
The Northbrook, IL-based insurer, working with ESPN, ABC, and Van Wagner Sports Group’s Dorna USA, came up with an idea to paint Allstate’s familiar “good hands” icon on goalpost nets at more than 30 NCAA Division I football stadiums for the 2005 season. Visible at certain angles inside the stadium, the signage was designed to give Allstate product placement that can be seen by millions of viewers.
Allstate receives in-game mentions by the ESPN and ABC crews, though viewers in crowded places such as sports bars cannot hear them. But Allstate feels its “good hands” logo is iconic enough to make its viewers think about switching or upgrading insurance during timeouts.
“The individual game telecasts will vary greatly in the amount of exposure reaped by Allstate,” says Eric Wright, vice president of research and development at ROI research firm Joyce Julius & Associates, “simply due to the nature of the game and that some games feature several kicks, while others may offer only a few opportunities. Given that, I’d say the cumulative effect is what will make this a successful sponsorship, in terms of generating brand awareness for Allstate.”
Given how many teams Allstate has on board, Wright believes that by midseason the icons on the nets may seem to be a normal extension of the game to the typical viewer. But having what may turn out to be a weekly product placement presence during some of the most-watched college games is going to give Allstate a unique opportunity not enjoyed by any other sponsoring brand, excluding equipment manufacturers, he says.
The insurer did not say how much money was spent on its product placement campaign. In exchange for the product placement, Allstate will make donations to the school’s general scholarship fund for each field goal ($300 per) and extra point ($100 per) that travel through an Allstate-branded net during their home games.
The product placement is one way that Allstate will leverage its 2005 Bowl Championship Series college football sponsorship. Allstate will also have a significant presence during this year’s football season with a fan-friendly mobile tailgate “Field Goal Fan-tastic” tour; a national consumer promotion that will award one fan a trip to the BCS Championship Game; a new college-football-themed television advertising campaign; and other ambient efforts to engage fans at stadiums across the country.
Each week, the Fan-tastic tour will visit a marquee college football game. Prior to the game, fans will have the opportunity to test miniature Allstate-branded goalpost nets by kicking field goals in a designated tailgate area. Allstate will randomly select one fan to attempt a 20-yard field goal at halftime for a chance to win $6,000, half of which will be donated to the general scholarship fund of the winner’s school of choice.
In response to the Gulf Coast disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina, Allstate is throwing in an additional $1,000 to its relief efforts if the contestant’s kick is successful.
