Football Cooks Up TV Ad Reach

iSpot's midseason NFL ad report highlights how the league keeps growing – despite already being a behemoth on TV already – as an audience reach vehicle. And how various industries, and especially restaurant brands, are cashing in.

• Casual dining brands like Chili's and Applebee's are leaning on football this fall, as the industry increased its NFL TV ad impressions by 70% YoY through the midseason mark.
• Chili's didn't air a single ad in 2022, yet has climbed to $30.6 million through October 2023, and nearly 38% of that comes from NFL action as the brand comes back to TV.
• Burger King TV ad impressions grew by 31% YoY during NFL games, heating up the burger wars with continuous play of the now-famous "Whopper Whopper" theme song.
• iSpot notes that across quick-service restaurants (QSR), pizza and casual dining, food brands are leveraging NFL games to drive immediate business outcomes (while other industries are aiming to attract longer-tail leads for future purchases).