
One of the basics of great consumer marketing for a mega event is to under-promise and over-deliver. One of the only areas surrounding the recent Super Bowl 50 that could be legitimately criticized was the game itself.
How did the big win for the Bay Area come about?
LEADERSHIP
49ers CEO Jed York made a wise choice when he partnered with Daniel Lurie, the headman at Tipping Point to work on bringing the 50th Super Bowl celebration to the Bay Area. The consortium of recruited business, political and community leaders was an all-star lineup. The selection of Keith Bruce (CEO) and Pat Gallagher (EVP) to run the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee was inspired. The team of committed professionals they put on the project made the event work. They spent two and a half years creating strength from the inside out. Their efforts paid fantastic dividends for multiple constituencies throughout the Bay Area.
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REGIONAL COOPERATION & TEAMWORK
It's never an easy task to get all the different governmental agencies and elected officials to play nice in the same sandbox. In this instance they showed what positive teamwork can accomplish without bureaucratic bellyaching or grandstanding.
SECURITY AND THE GRIDLOCK
I have been to many global events including Olympics, World Cups, NBA Finals, World Series and Super Bowls. I’ve never seen the level of organized security and show of force than at the this year's game. The level of cooperation between national, regional, local law enforcement, the NFL, and the 49ers was seamless and created a positive sense of security for all event-goers.
The hand wringing that the Bay Area would fall victim to “Carmageddon” failed to materialize once commuters got the hang of it. Thousands of people gave public transportation a try and it performed at a high level.
THE NUMBERS
An estimated 1.1 million people visited San Francisco for Super Bowl-related events leading up to the game according to the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Over the last five years cities have seen anywhere from a $200-700 million economic boost from hosting the game. These numbers on economic impact studies are always a mixture of art and science.
San Francisco 49ers
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1.1 million visitors
300,000 from out of town
64 free public performances of top shelf entertainers in Super Bowl City and other parties around town
NETWORK TV VIEWERSHIP
170.9 million viewers on CBS
VOLUNTEERS
5,000 worked on the events of SB 50
103,00 Volunteer hours
HOSPITALITY BUSINESS
The Super Bowl helped bring in more than $8.2 million in hotel taxes, which was $5.3 million more than the same period in 2015 according to the San Francisco Travel Association.
THE 50 FUND LEGACY
Philanthropy was at the core of the organizing committee’s mission. Twenty-Five percent of every corporate sponsorship dollar was contributed to the 50 Fund, which was established to manage and allocate funds to deserving non-profit groups throughout the Bay Area.
Up until two years ago the most charitable giving was about $2 million dollars with half raised by the local host committee and a matching grant by the NFL. Super Bowls 48 and 49 upped the ante but none have come close to the record breaking total of SB 50.
Thirteen million dollars were raised and distributed. Estimates are that around a half million young people will be positively impacted by the programs through 141 nonprofit organizations who were recipients
SUPER BOWL CITY & THE NFL EXPERIENCE
If you wanted free super star talent and entertainment, check that box with Alicia Keys, One Republic, The Band Perry, Chris Isaak and not one but two spectacular fireworks shows. Both Super Bowl City and the NFL experience were packed with fans having a great time.
LEVI’S STADIUM
No doubt that many were holding their breath to see if the Denim Den could deliver in terms of traffic flow, security, overall look and turf all under the microscope of a global audience.
The stadium shone in the spotlight like never before.
WEATHER
“El Nino” was told in no uncertain terms to take a week off and he did. Now everyone wants to move to the Bay Area since the game and all the surrounding activities were bathed in golden sunlight for the world to see.
WHAT’S NEXT
The NFL placed a full page ad in Bay Area newspapers following the Super Bowl: “Thank You to the passionate football fans, the Host Committee and the outstanding communities of the San Francisco Bay Area that made the Super Bowl an unprecedented success. In addition to a wonderful week of events throughout the area Super Bowl 50 was the most watched show in television history. The real game changer was millions raised with our Host Committee for a variety of Bay Area charities. Congratulations, Bay Area!”
The next two Super Bowls are scheduled for Houston and the new indoor stadium in Minneapolis. Visitors, viewers and VIPs to these two cities who were at sunny Santa Clara will immediately start thinking about bringing the game back to the Bay.
There are those that believe the new football stadium in Inglewood slated to open in 2019 will push the San Francisco Bay Area out of the Super Bowl rotation. The proposed West Coast campus of the NFL, privately financed by the billions of Rams owner Stan Kroenke, will surely host future Super Bowls.
[RELATED: Super Bowl won't be returning to Bay Area any time soon]
But Northern California has a magic magnet in the form of the City by the Bay. When you add in Napa, Sonoma, Monterey, Reno, Tahoe and Levi’s Stadium in Siliconia, you can be sure that we will be enjoying other mega Super Bowls in the future.
Many in the community were asking “What the L” when it was announced that the game was coming to our home turf. After all, this is the San Francisco Bay Area, and we are undefeated in parties. That record still stands in the aftermath of Super Bowl 50.