Ads at a College Football Games

In the past, I've always gone to MSU football games solely as a fan. I would be aware of the ads around me, but never realized how many there were, or didn't even think that some would be classified as ads. This year, I'm working as an intern in the MSU Athletics Marketing department. I've become so much more aware of the advertising that surrounds us at these type of events. There is a whole production put on in addition to the game itself. Below are some of the advertising that I was "blind" to before working for the department. 

Tailgates

Tailgates are an amazing way for people to promote their businesses. While some people tailgate with their families and friends, others put on tailgates for community members to enjoy. They have their own tents and trucks with their logos on them. Walking through the tailgate parties, you easily see 10-20 of these types of tailgates!

Media Timeouts

Media timeouts are filled with advertisements. From messages on the video board to PA reads, each media timeout has around 4-6 ads, and there are about 3 media timeouts for each of the four quarters. Companies will pay money to place their name on the PA announcement and on the jumbo screen during these breaks. During the game, the side bars of the jumbo screen are usually filled with ads as well. 

Fan Giveaways

T-Shirt tosses. Fan of the game. Free Papa Murphy's pizza for touchdowns. Rally towels. Fan giveaways are a great way for businesses in the surrounding area to advertise for themselves to college students. There is nothing a college student loves more than something that is 100% free to them. And when a student wears the free t-shirt around campus with that business's logo on it, it has 100+ more opportunities to be seen. 

Clothing Apparel

When you think about it, every person who is wearing an article of clothing where the logo of the company or team is visible, they are helping the company with advertising. There are between 16,000 and 18,000 people in the football stadium each game, and the majority of them are wearing an article of clothing with some sort of logo on it. Subconsciously, we see these logos every time one of these people comes into our vision. The official clothing apparel sponsor of MSU is Under Armour. They have placed their logo on all of the jerseys, as well as most of the clothing apparel including jackets and hats that are worn by coaches and staff down on the field. 

Other Sponsorships

Any type of fan contest or game has a company name associated with it. Some of these include the TireRama/Cooper Tire Tailgater of the Game, Hays Dental Guess That Smile, Q Casino Helmet Shuffle, Roseau's Kick for Dough, and the Napa Name that Song. Over the course of the game, there are probably 15 or so contests or games that are put on for fan entertainment. 

By the time the game is over, I would feel confident saying that all attendees have seen and heard over 1,000 ads in 4 or so hours. And that is only 1/6 of the day! The average American sees around 5,000 ads per day. Before working for the marketing department, I had a hard time understanding this statistic. Now, I am able to better comprehend why this number is so high. We become "numb" to the majority of these and don't even realize we are seeing or hearing them.