How USAA Scores Big with Veterans at the Super Bowl
February 11, 2025 at 3:00:00 PM
The Super Bowl is the biggest, baddest sports marketing platform in the US. Millions upon millions are spent on ad buys, talent, hospitality, and a number of other verticals. And that works for brands with a budget to support such efforts. What about brands in the cause marketing space?
USAA, the Official Salute to Service Partner of the NFL, leverages the IP/rights afforded to the brand from the sponsorship to insert military appreciation into the Super Bowl conversation.
In partnership with multiple Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), USAA established an annual initiative that provides veterans with an all-expenses-paid trip to the Super Bowl. This program not only honors the service and sacrifices of military personnel but also serves as a strategic marketing pillar for USAA, enhancing its brand visibility and reinforcing its commitment to the military community.
Program Overview
Each year, USAA collaborates with VSOs to identify deserving veterans from the VSO membership. Once selected and vetted, these veterans are ‘surprised’ with Super Bowl tickets, often presented by prominent National Football League (NFL) players, creating memorable moments. For instance, New England Patriots QB Drake Maye surprised an US Army veteran with tickets to Super Bowl LIX at The American Legion Post 17 in Portland, ME. Previously, Atlanta Falcons RB Bijan Robinson partnered with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) to send an United States Air Force veteran and his wife to Super Bowl LVIII.
While it’s a great program for the veterans fortunate enough to be selected for participation, it’s more interesting to look at the ‘why’ behind the program beyond this as an example for USAA’s direct and tangible approach to military appreciation through their NFL sponsorship.
Marketing Benefits to USAA
Enhanced Brand Visibility
By partnering with high-profile NFL players, USAA garners significant media attention. These talent-led interactions are covered extensively across various platforms, including television, print, and online media, ensuring widespread exposure. The emotional nature of these stories resonates with a broad audience, further amplifying USAA's brand presence. USAA garners over 1 BILLION media impressions (UVM) annually through this program.
Strengthened Brand Association with Military Values
USAA's core mission is to serve military members and their families. Through this program, the company reinforces its dedication to the military community, aligning its brand with values such as honor, service, and commitment. This alignment enhances brand loyalty among existing members and appeals to potential members within the military community. This story is told through the media coverage the initiative receives, led by notable talent which captures the attention of the desired audience.
Positive Public Relations and Corporate Image
The program generates positive publicity, showcasing USAA's commitment to giving back to those who have served the nation, which fosters goodwill among the general public and positions USAA as a socially responsible organization.
Engagement with Key Demographics
Football has a broad and diverse fan base, including a significant number of military personnel and veterans. By integrating into NFL events and narratives, USAA effectively reaches and engages with this key demographic, promoting its services to those who can benefit most. Stated differently, this ‘good works’ story resonates with the desired audience, the military community, in a manner that positions the brand in a positive manner.
Leveraging NFL Partnerships for Broader Campaigns
USAA's NFL activation extends beyond the Super Bowl ticket giveaways. As the Official NFL Salute to Service Partner, the brand participates in multiple initiatives that honor and support military members throughout the year. This partnership allows USAA to utilize NFL branding and platforms in its marketing campaigns, further enhancing its reach and credibility. Because of the brand’s consistent military appreciation messaging throughout the year, the Super Bowl ticket program has more credibility for the brand.
Emotional Connection and Storytelling
The personal stories of veterans receiving Super Bowl tickets create compelling narratives that humanize the brand. These stories are shared across social media and other platforms, encouraging engagement and fostering an emotional connection between the audience and USAA through a lens of shared passion points – NFL fandom and an affinity for the military.
Justification of Marketing Spend
Investing in this program yields substantial returns for USAA in terms of brand equity and customer loyalty. The authentic alignment with military values and the positive media coverage generated provide a return on investment that extends beyond traditional advertising metrics.
Furthermore, the program's ability to create memorable experiences for veterans not only honors their service but also generates word-of-mouth promotion within the military community. This grassroots advocacy is invaluable, as recommendations from peers carry significant weight in the financial services decision-making processes.
In conclusion, USAA's initiative to send veterans to the Super Bowl exemplifies a strategic blend of honoring service members and achieving marketing objectives. The program enhances brand visibility, reinforces core values, and fosters positive public relations, all of which justify the associated expenditures.
Brands typically make attempts to connect and engage with the military community on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Throw in a discount and this is what the market has told the military to expect in the way of outreach. For a brand willing to do more, there is an opportunity to turn the heads of the ~40 million consumers that make up the military community.
Marketing to the military should be an “always on” mentality, not just a few touches throughout the year at the same time every other brand is doing the exact same thing. The military community is one of the largest American consumer segments, made up of people from all walks of life. Their diversity and lifestyle offer tremendous marketing opportunities to brands who serve every audience. For a brand to really connect with this group, a level of understanding is required – not just check-the-box marketing done on Veterans Day.
Does your brand have an effective strategy to connect with the military community? We can help. Our team designs and executes marketing and sponsorship campaigns targeting the military community. We deliver results because we understand the audience. We understand who they are, where they live, and what drives them. We speak their language. We connect with the military community through authentic messaging in channels where they are, with information relevant to their lives.
We help brands connect with the military community. Let’s talk about how we can help your brand.
Founder, The Barracks
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Our team designs and executes marketing and sponsorship campaigns targeting the military community. We deliver results because we understand the audience. We understand the pitfalls to avoid, the vernacular to use, and how to be authentic. If your brand isn't marketing to the military or doesn't have a military marketing strategy, we can help.