College Received Sweetheart Deal to Showcase Its Hallmark for Hands-On Learning
The Patriots, the Eagles, Justin Timberlake, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chrysler and Duracell are all there. So is Wilmington College! Each of these entities and scores more are featured in the 2018 Super Bowl game program.
PICTURED: Freshmen Abram Werle (LEFT) and Jacob Franke view the College's ad in an advance copy of this year's Super Bowl program.
The College’s full-page advertisement highlights its hallmark for hands-on learning and leadership development opportunities.
The official, 290-page program will be viewed by as many as 50 million sets of eyes — based on last year’s numbers — at the free online version found at nfl.com. Also millions more of the keepsake paper copies are not only being sold at Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis but also throughout all 32 NFL team markets and other retail outlets across the country.
The full-page ad opportunity became available to Wilmington College somewhat out of the blue. The publication production company needed to sell a very limited amount of remaining ad space quickly before going to print. In fact, WC's camera-ready ad copy was required within 24 hours of the agreement in order to meet their deadline.
As such, the College purchased the advertisement at much less than Super Bowl-size prices. It cost a fraction of the normal rate and the expenditure is being partially underwritten by donors.
This extraordinary deal fell into the College’s lap when a salesman, who contacted WC in mid-January about advertising in an agricultural publication, mentioned this 11th hour opportunity, which also includes a full-page ad in the National Basketball Assn. All-Star Game program and an upcoming National Hockey League game played in a football stadium.
The reach of the three hard-copy programs is estimated to be 55 million persons, again based on previous years’ viewership.
The College coupled the Super Bowl ad with a media campaign this week that linked America’s largest spectacle with two close WC connections to the Super Bowl.
Eighteen sport management students have been in Minnesota since Tuesday gaining hands-on knowledge about what’s behind staging one of the world’s biggest events. They have been staffing The NFL Experience and expect to work Game Day on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Also, 2002 alumnus Nick Nicastro has been in Minneapolis selling VIP ticket packages — costing up to $100,000 — as director of premium sales for the NFL’s On Location Experiences.
