Eckrich to Resume College Football Season Campaign

Eckrich has extended its partnership to remain the Official Smoked Sausage and Deli Meat Sponsor of the College Football Playoff. The Smithfield Foods brand will once more host a multifaceted campaign each weekend during the 2017 college football season and at the 2018 national championship game.

Building on the success of its first year as an official sponsor, Lisle, Ill.-based Eckrich will again present a college football highlight each week. Also, the brand will offer for a second year its Road to the National Championship sweepstakes, through which fans around the country will have the opportunity to make a 20-yard throw for $1 million. The throws will be held during major college football games, as well as at the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship in Atlanta, televised live on ESPN. Fans can go online to enter the contest.

Eckrich will promote the sweepstakes via experiential marketing, digital media, public relations and social media. Fans can also sample Eckrich naturally hardwood-smoked sausage and savory deli meats at stadiums across the United States throughout football season. Also helping to get the word out, “ESPN College GameDay” and “Saturday Night College Football Game” analyst Kirk Herbstreit will appear in digital sweepstakes ads and on social media for the second year in a row. Herbstreit will additionally star in an Eckrich tailgating-themed television ad throughout the fall.

"Last year, our partnership with the College Football Playoff helped us share Eckrich with millions of college football fans across the country," noted Tim Zimmer, Smithfield Foods’ chief marketing officer. "The energy and enthusiasm that fans have for this game is incredible! By returning as a College Football Playoff partner and hosting the second year of our Road to the National Championship sweepstakes, we're looking forward to celebrating this exciting sport in an even bigger way."

For more about tailgating, read Progressive Grocer’s August 2017 article on fall seasonal promotions across the store.