Over the last several months, the NFL has been facing a major image crisis. Including Ray Rice, there have been 13 NFL players arrested on domestic violence charges since 2005, according to a USA Today player arrest database. Roger Goodell’s handling of these issues has caused outrage among fans and sponsors alike.
Despite these troubles, California-based mobile tech company Mophie, has announced plans to advertise during NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. Becoming the first new advertiser since the NFL image crisis began with Rice, Mophie looks to gain exposure in front of likely more than 100 million viewers.
“We decided we want to tell our story to a much broader audience,” says Mophie’s Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Huang. “We want consumers to know about our brand.”
Because nearly 95 percent of Americans have not yet heard of the Mophie brand, the Super Bowl is a perfect platform to put innovative technology in front of millions of sports fans.
Ratings for NFL viewership continue to rise this season, despite the league’s image problems. During the first three weeks of the season, Nielsen reports that 19.5 million viewers tuned into football on CBS, up from around 18 million for the same games last year. As the number one selling mobile battery case in North America, Mophie does not anticipate facing any serious backlash for associating their brand with the NFL.
“Doing a Super Bowl commercial is by no means in support of (domestic) violence,” says Huang, whose company’s sales were $220 million last year. “We are doing this because we love football and we love the huge stage.”
[fanmob id=”a5abead5-f67e-46b4-a4c9-91e53acbf78a”]
Partnering with ad agency Deutsch LA, Mophie plans to create a provocative ad that will be sure to get them noticed. Deutsch LA has experience creating Super Bowl spots for big brands like Volkswagen and Taco Bell.
“Anheuser-Busch will make us cry. Doritos will make us laugh. And Kia will spend $10 million on explosions. Given that backdrop, we have to find a way to stand out,” says Deutsch LA’s Chief Executive Officer, Mike Sheldon.
“It’s also a chance to add some rocket fuel to a premium brand that continues to rise. Even more important, these guys are our kind of people: ambitious, intelligent risk-takers with a gift for innovation.”