The “N” in NFL stands for NATIONAL – not International.
Yet somehow the league seems determined to forget that.
Do you really think a core NFL fan – the 45-year-old American male who has carried this league for decades – enjoyed a Super Bowl halftime show that 99.9% of viewers couldn’t even understand? That’s your key demographic, and you completely ignored them.
The NFL keeps pushing to become a global brand with games in Europe and talk of overseas expansion. Fine. Grow the game. But don’t do it by alienating the loyal fan base that built your empire in the first place.
Between the constant virtue signaling, the endless woke messaging, and now what many are calling the worst halftime show in NFL history, the league seems determined to test how far they can push their audience before it finally pushes back.
I took two years of Spanish and still didn’t understand a single word of Bad Bunny. What I did understand was the provocative outfits, the crotch-grabbing, and the spectacle that had nothing to do with football or the people actually watching it.
The first rule of business is simple: keep your customers engaged. Don’t give them a reason to leave the store.
But that’s exactly what happened. Millions tuned out. Many flipped over to the Turning Point halftime show. Others muted the TV or left the room entirely. From a marketing and advertising standpoint, that’s a disaster.
Advertisers pay up to $8 million for a 30-second Super Bowl spot. The last thing they want is viewers walking away during the most expensive airtime on television. I wonder if they got a 20% discount for commercials adjacent to that halftime show? Doubtful.
Take it from someone who has spent a career in marketing: you never insult your audience and expect them to stick around.
You blew it, NFL. And you know it.
