• by Teresa Buyikian , September 16, 2024

It’s officially football season, and the sponsors are coming out in force with new campaigns, product launches and other integrated fan promos.

Incorporating all of the above, Applebee’s is hitting the ground running for its first season as the NFL’s Official Grill + Bar sponsor. Look out for an athlete-studded ad series, an NFL bucket of booze and a sweepstakes to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Feb. 9, 2025.

The chain’s NFL advertising kicks off with a hilarious docu-dramesque campaign featuring popular players and coaches in a faux Applebee’s training camp. With one of six new episodes released weekly, the campaign also highlights the chain’s deals and football-related promos, including 50-cent boneless wings and $10 NFL Bucket Cocktails.

“At Applebee’s, we’re all about having fun and creating memories for our guests and Team Members,” Applebee’s CMO Joel Yashinsky told Marketing Daily. “We saw an opportunity with Pre-Seasoning to do just that while leaning into our sponsorship as the official grill + bar of the NFL. (The series) is light-hearted social content that whether you’re a fan of Applebee’s or the NFL, you’ll enjoy seeing it.”

The national broadcast campaign, created by Grey NY and launched earlier this month, has head coach Dan Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles running back and two-time Pro-Bowler Saquon Barkley and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy appearing as Applebee’s server trainees.

The launch spot touts the 50-cent wings, with Campbell as a new server. As he approaches one table, speaking from behind his order book, he encourages them to cover their mouths as they order their wings, warning “they could steal your order,” as if in an actual game. The befuddled customers follow along, covering their mouths with their menus, with Campbell complimenting them, “Perfect. They’ll never see it coming.”

Full “episodes” of “Pre-Seasoning – An Applebee’s Training Camp,” run on the chain’s social channels, which “offer a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the NFL stars’ journey to learn what it takes to serve up the Good in the Neighborhood at their local Applebee’s,” per the brand. The launch trailer can be seen here.

Not to be outdone by the immensely popular Dollarita promo, in honor of the NFL Applebee’s has launched a lineup of limited-time $10 cocktails in NFL-themed buckets, available for dine-in.

The buckets include the Captain’s Kickoff Bucket, with Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, creme de banana liqueur, grenadine, orange and pineapple juice, and Starry lemon lime soda; and the M.V.Tea Bucket, featuring Applebee’s “most valuable” Long Island Iced Tea made with Smirnoff Vodka, Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, Crown Royal Canadian Whisky, triple sec and premium lemon sour topped with Pepsi. The buckets are 32 oz. and decorated with all 32 NFL Football Team logos.

Loyalty “Club Applebee’s” members also have the chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LIX through the Club Applebee’s Super Bowl Sweepstakes until Jan. 5, 2025. Members earn an entry for each $10 spent at the restaurant.