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Super Bowl: A Game of HORSE and the Pre-Game Debate
Posted by Howard Schacter
Twenty years ago, as a young PR buck, I was tasked with creating a strategy to help McDonald’s leverage its Super Bowl XXVII “Nothing But Net” spot. I knew we had PR gold in our hands when the storyboards included Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in a game of HORSE. Slam dunk!
What wasn’t a slam dunk at the time was my idea: invite select media on-set (Entertainment Tonight, ESPN, a few others) to capture interviews with Jordan, Bird, director Joe Pytka and behind-the-scenes footage for segments that would air BEFORE the game to build anticipation and consumer engagement.
The heated debates at the Golden Arches over a concept that seemed heretical at the time were unforgettable. But, we hit pay dirt that year with phenomenal pre-game PR and a USA Today Ad Meter victory. It arguably kick-started what today is considered the first page of the Super Bowl Commercial PR Playbook. In fact, now NOT finding ways to gain exposure for a brand’s Super Bowl spot before the game is considered heretical.
Stuart Elliott did a deep dive on the subject in The New York Times this week that’s worth reading…
Posted in Howard Schacter, Media Relations
Tags: Ad, Ad Meter, advertising, article, commercial, DGC, DiGennaro Communications, Joe Pytka, Larry Bird, McDonald's, media relations, Michael Jordan, nba, Nothing But Net, PR, Public Relations, slam dunk, sports, Stuart Elliott, Super Bowl, The New York Times, USA Today, XXVII