Remember that kid in your junior high class that always got in trouble, but never really got in trouble because he always knew how far he could push the limits – and never quite went beyond that point? He was always able to smile and joke his way out of trouble. Well, in today’s marketing world, that kid is Captain Morgan rum. And their latest little prank? Coaxing NFL players to strike the semi-famous Captain Morgan pose after scoring touchdowns during their games.
Evidently, the good ol’ Captain was quietly offering to donate $10,000 to the Gridiron Greats fund (a charitable organization?) every time a player struck a pose after scoring a touchdown. Before being ratted out, the donation was due to increase to $25,000 in the playoffs and $100,000 in the Super Bowl. The first instance happened when Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek struck the pose after scoring in a recent game against their rival, the Dallas Cowboys.
It didn’t take too long before the NFL sniffed out the sneaky marketing ploy and laid down the law against future attempts at what they called “ambush marketing.” While Celek didn’t get fined, the NFL made it clear that if it wasn’t making money on the marketing, they’d be making money off the resulting punishment.
The Captain? He’s over in the corner laughing to himself. He knows he just got away with a marketing coup that will likely get more attention now than it might have if the NFL hadn’t pointed it out to all of its viewing audience. I can’t imagine rogue college players striking the same pose … or fans standing behind Game Day broadcasters? Or players in any number of other sports, for that matter. Even more ingenious – if you want to give credit – is that the ploy probably cost them a fraction of what it would have actually cost to advertise on an NFL game … and probably got more attention.
Think you’ve seen the end of the Captain in guerilla sports marketing? Think again.
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Yeah, this is truly brilliant!