It\u2019s College Football Playoff season, and the postseason bowl games have become a platform for some of the zaniest marketing moments in recent memory. We\u2019re looking at you, Pop-Tarts mascot sacrifice and Cheez-It wedding.<\/p>\n
This month, Bush\u2019s Beans is joining the party after securing the naming rights to the Boca Raton Bowl, which will this year be called the Bush\u2019s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans.<\/p>\n
The brand is no stranger to college football, having been a sponsor of the SEC for four years, or to outside-the-box marketing, from cornhole sponsorships to bean-themed Halloween costumes. At the upcoming game between the University of Louisville Cardinals and the University of Toledo Rockets, and with its college football marketing in general, the brand is aiming to cook up some hype for beans among the brand\u2019s traditional consumers in its southern home region, as well as with the sport\u2019s younger fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur mission in life is to elevate beans in people\u2019s lives, and really celebrate what beans can stand for,\u201d Bush\u2019s SVP of marketing, Stephen Palacios, told Marketing Brew. \u201cWe look for partners and opportunities to celebrate beans in all kinds of culturally relevant and interesting ways, and this was certainly one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
All bean everything<\/h2>\n
Bush\u2019s isn\u2019t just calling the game a \u201cBowl of Beans\u201d; it\u2019s actually attempting to transform the stadium at Florida Atlantic University into \u201cthe world\u2019s biggest bowl of baked beans,\u201d according to the company. Integral to the effort is Bush\u2019s \u201cbean merch,\u201d which includes clothes, hats, and shoes. At the game, Bush\u2019s will pass out free bean-themed bucket hats to help create the visual.<\/p>\n
In place of a ceremonial torch, there will be a pot of beans on a stove lit at the start of the game, along with a \u201cdelicious surprise saved for the winning team\u2019s celebration,\u201d according to Bush\u2019s. The brand is also bringing a ball pit of beans to the venue, as well as the Bush\u2019s Canper, a mobile camper outfitted to look like a can of beans both inside and out. There will be a bean-can tunnel for players to run through, bean-themed snacks, and generally \u201cbeans, beans, and more beans,\u201d Palacios said.<\/p>\n
The first 2,000 fans through the gates can trade a can of Bush\u2019s Beans for access to the \u201cMVBean section,\u201d and Bush\u2019s will donate those cans to local charities.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe whole place is going to be completely surrounded by beans,\u201d Palacios said.<\/p>\n
To help drum up excitement at the stadium, Bush\u2019s tapped actor and comedian Keegan-Michael Key, a sports fan with ties to football, cross-generational appeal, and the type of humor and energy that Palacios said is fitting for the Bush\u2019s brand: \u201cHe\u2019s fun, he\u2019s interesting, he\u2019s a little bit wild,\u201d Palacios said.<\/p>\n
Can<\/del> Fan opener<\/h2>\nTo amplify the promotional efforts on social and help drive conversation, Bush\u2019s is partnering with a handful of influencers across the food and comedy spaces to post content ranging from skits to real-time reactions to the game, Palacios said. In addition to social engagement and impressions, Palacios said his KPIs include brand sentiment boosts and media coverage. He\u2019s especially focused on making inroads with younger consumers, and through the SEC partnership, he said that Bush\u2019s had already made gains in terms of household penetration among millennials and Gen Z.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollege football crosses many demographics,\u201d Palacios said. \u201cThere are lots of older consumers who love college football as well, but the focus\u2026is really to go after that younger demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bush\u2019s current deal with the SEC is set to last for another two years, and if this year\u2019s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans goes according to plan, Palacios said his team will likely look to continue with that property, too. While football remains the focal point of the SEC work, the brand has also shown up in college baseball and volleyball, he said, and the marketing team is looking to continue activating with the SEC outside of football season, and may explore other regions in the future.<\/p>\n
For the last few weeks of the year, though, Palacios said his main priority is to get visions of beans dancing in college football fans\u2019 heads alongside those sugarplums.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it came to bowls and having consumers thinking about bowls, we want them to think about bowls of beans, especially before the cereal and the ice cream guys get into the mix,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
To amplify the promotional efforts on social and help drive conversation, Bush\u2019s is partnering with a handful of influencers across the food and comedy spaces to post content ranging from skits to real-time reactions to the game, Palacios said. In addition to social engagement and impressions, Palacios said his KPIs include brand sentiment boosts and media coverage. He\u2019s especially focused on making inroads with younger consumers, and through the SEC partnership, he said that Bush\u2019s had already made gains in terms of household penetration among millennials and Gen Z.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollege football crosses many demographics,\u201d Palacios said. \u201cThere are lots of older consumers who love college football as well, but the focus\u2026is really to go after that younger demographic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bush\u2019s current deal with the SEC is set to last for another two years, and if this year\u2019s Boca Raton Bowl of Beans goes according to plan, Palacios said his team will likely look to continue with that property, too. While football remains the focal point of the SEC work, the brand has also shown up in college baseball and volleyball, he said, and the marketing team is looking to continue activating with the SEC outside of football season, and may explore other regions in the future.<\/p>\n
For the last few weeks of the year, though, Palacios said his main priority is to get visions of beans dancing in college football fans\u2019 heads alongside those sugarplums.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen it came to bowls and having consumers thinking about bowls, we want them to think about bowls of beans, especially before the cereal and the ice cream guys get into the mix,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n