• by Karl Greenberg , January 8, 2014

The Super Bowl will be played in New Jersey, but New Yorkers whose sport is, say, curling will want to reverse commute, because the big consumer brands are playing the big game on Broadway. Yes -- a lot of brands will take to Manhattan streets next month, and, assuming no one on N.J. Gov. Chris Christie's staff decides to be in a vengeful mood that week, the bridge-and-tunnel crowd will be huge. The Big Apple will definitely be brand-central and a party town.

There's Budweiser turning a Norwegian cruise ship into "Bud Light Hotel" with the Intrepid sea/air museum as spillover porch. There are tons of media-company throwdowns, from fitness and guy verticals, with Patron Tequila involved in parties at Maxim and GQ at a fete by chase/crash/explosion/disaster expert Michael Bay, so it seems.

And of course, there's Super Bowl Boulevard, which will run 15 blocks or so in the West 30 and 40 blocks -- wrapping in a concert stage, toboggan run, and Bryant Park, with a ton of NFL events cross-promoted with just about every brand you can think of except maybe (New Jersey-based) Capezio, although there have been rumors of NFL players having tried ballet now and then.  

New York City's tourism organization, NYC & Co., notes that there will be a  concert at Madison Square Garden by The NFL Players Choir with some Grammy Award-winning gospel artists participating. Not to be left out, Brooklyn will host a "Taste of the NFL" program, wherein chefs from NFL cities descend on the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook.   

And Chase and United Airlines will be at chef Guy Fieri’s restaurant, Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar, in Times Square to celebrate with Chase United MileagePlus cardmembers. The company says the program includes “Touchdown Dinners” each night with a celebrity chef and “In The Huddle” events each night featuring former football stars like Dan Marino, Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason. Where’s my curling broom?