The Super Bowl isn’t just the biggest day in football, it’s also a major marketing spectacle. While broadcast commercials grab headlines, savvy marketers know the real opportunity lies in the palm of their audiences’ hands. Millions of viewers split their attention between TV and smartphone screens, making SMS particularly powerful during the big game.
The best part? You don’t need to shell out millions for airtime. Businesses of any size can leverage SMS throughout the entire game. From pre-game buzz to post-game offers, here’s why text messaging is one of the most game-changing tools in your Super Bowl marketing strategy.
6 Winning SMS Strategies for Super Bowl Marketing
With millions tuning in, the Super Bowl offers brands an unparalleled opportunity to reach engaged audiences in real time. Each SMS marketing strategy below is your ticket to maximizing game-time campaigns.
1. Exclusive Game-Day Offers That Score Big
The key to Super Bowl SMS marketing is creating can’t-miss, time-sensitive offers that complement the viewing experience. Targeted promotions for game-day essentials can turn browsers into buyers as you tap into the event’s organic momentum.
Consider these proven strategies:
- Offer exclusive game-day-themed bundles.
- Give VIP SMS subscribers early access to limited-time drops.
- Create an MVP collection only available during game week.
- Offer deep discounts on popular items during key game moments.
For maximum success, schedule your best deals during pre-game excitement and halftime, when engagement is likely to peak.
Pro Move: Create even more urgency with countdowns and limited-quantity alerts. Tie it all together: Take a multi-faceted approach and build hype with your other metrics, like growing registration counts and dwindling inventory levels, to create FOMO and drive action.
2. Interactive Polls and Contests to Keep Fans Engaged
Take advantage of every time out and commercial break with interactive SMS blasts that invite audiences to weigh in and earn rewards.
Run polls and contests like these to entice subscribers with a chance to win deals:
- Have subscribers submit guesses for the final winner, score, or MVP.
- Create quarter-by-quarter prediction challenges with escalating rewards.
- Launch trivia contests to test fans’ knowledge of Super Bowl history and team stats.
Pro Move: Clearly communicate contest rules, prize details, and the winner selection process up front—this transparency is vital to building trust. Create a dedicated landing page for contest rules and link to it in your initial SMS.
3. Real-Time Updates That Really Matter
A successful Super Bowl marketing strategy carefully balances engaging SMS content and message frequency. Keep subscribers in the game with curated alerts that don’t overwhelm their phones—you want to be a valued part of their experience, not a distraction from it.
Leveraging these key moments can help you strike that balance:
- Game-changing plays and record-breaking performances
- Halftime show, including pre- and post-show highlights
- Post-quarter and post-touchdown moments
- Post-game for an extended engagement
Pro Move: Focus on the truly noteworthy moments with time-sensitive offers that feel natural when tied to game events. Smart brands limit their Super Bowl SMS campaigns to 3–5 strategic messages, each delivering clear value to the recipient.
4. Strategic Timing for SMS Success
SMS marketing during the Super Bowl is as much about what you send as when you send it. Reaching subscribers in these peak engagement windows is key for maximum impact:
- Pre-game: Around 2–3 hours before kickoff
- Commercial breaks: Varies, though the NFL requires sixteen commercial breaks per game
- Halftime show: Usually 15 minutes long, but the entire halftime break may be up to 30
- Post-game: The sooner, the better after the game is over
Pro Move: Track engagement metrics from your previous campaigns to identify your audience’s optimal response rates and times. Look for patterns across different time zones, message types, and timing strategies to build a heat map. This becomes your SMS strategy playbook.
5. Personalization that Connects
Generic messages can easily get lost in the noise on any given Sunday, but especially during the Super Bowl. Stand out from the crowd by crafting messages that resonate with individuals.
These personalization tactics can help:
- Include location-specific deals and promotions
- Segment messages based on subscriber demographics
- Adjust messaging tone with templates based on game outcomes
Ahead of the game, build preference centers that let subscribers indicate their interests, preferred message frequency, and team allegiance. This way, you’ll have multiple pieces of subscriber data in your arsenal.
Pro Move: Go beyond first names—use every bit of available subscriber data to make your message as relevant and engaging as possible. Test different personalization elements to find what drives engagement without it feeling invasive.
6. Post-Game Strategy for Lasting Impact
The final whistle shouldn’t signal the end of your Super Bowl marketing strategy. The hours (and days) following the game present opportunities to build lasting relationships with subscribers.
Keep the engagement going with:
- Post-game surveys to gather valuable feedback—Time these strategically to capture both emotional (quick-reaction polls) and rational responses (detailed surveys about their overall experience with your brand).
- Exclusive deals for engaged subscribers—Reward active participation with tiered offers that incentivize engagement. Consider extended redemption windows to avoid the pressure of immediate purchases.
- Thank-you messages with previews of upcoming campaigns—Craft personalized appreciation texts highlighting specific ways subscribers participated. Let them know they’ll have early access (and another chance to win) in your next campaign, too.
Using game-day data, you can analyze promotion redemption rates, study engagement rates across different segments, and create a VIP segment of your most engaged subscribers.
Pro Move: Develop a comprehensive post-event nurture strategy that integrates your Super Bowl marketing campaign with your broader strategy. Use game-day signups to build specialized segments for future targeting, planning regular touch points that maintain engagement during the off-season.
Why SMS Dominates the Field
The strengths of SMS marketing align perfectly with Super Bowl dynamics. While other channels compete for attention in an increasingly crowded digital space, SMS delivers your message directly to your subscribers’ most personal devices when it matters most.
These game-changing statistics illustrate why it works:
- 98% open rates ensure your message breaks through.
- Response times within minutes capture the momentum.
- Direct, personal communication builds stronger connections.
- Engagement rates are higher than those of email or social media.
The Power of Immediacy
SMS perfectly aligns with live event marketing needs. You can capitalize on game moments, optimize for game developments, and scale messaging costs based on your actual audience size. Success comes from understanding the rhythm of the game and your audience’s behavior.
Strategic Advantages
With SMS, there are no algorithmic changes to worry about (unlike social media), no spam filters to navigate (unlike email), and no dependency on internet connectivity (unlike web-based apps). You have direct attribution tracking for campaign success—with a lower cost per engagement than traditional marketing channels.
With all these benefits, it can be tempting to go big. Remember that over-messaging leads to opt-outs faster than a two-minute drill. Each text is an invitation into your subscriber's game-day experience—make it count.
Turn Your Super Bowl Marketing Strategy into Victory
The Super Bowl presents an unprecedented opportunity to build lasting relationships through thoughtful, strategic SMS. When you time your messages strategically, personalize your approach, and prioritize value over volume, you and your subscribers are better equipped to win big—no matter the game's outcome.
Start planning your SMS strategy well before kickoff. Subtext’s platform offers everything you need to launch and manage powerful SMS campaigns that turn big game moments into real connections. With Subtext’s robust platform and these strategies in your playbook, you’re ready to turn Super Bowl Sunday into a marketing victory.
Get started and book a demo today!