The Super Bowl Episode: Where We Talk About Sports Marketing and Spooky Nook

Welcome to another episode of Tower After Hours! Before we dive into this episode recap, we want to remind you that this is episode two of the season, so be sure to either listen to or read the latest recap of episode one. 

If you’re all caught up and ready to dive into episode two, we sat down with Mackenzie Bender, the Corporate Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Spooky Nook Sports. We talked about the Super Bowl, the memorable commercials, how the pandemic affected the Nook, and advice for growing your career.

Our Favorite 2024 Super Bowl Commercials

If you’re in the marketing world, the Super Bowl is not only the biggest football game of the season, but also a night for you to get inspiration or provide some critique on some very expensive commercials.

Here are all of our favorite 2024 Super Bowl Commercials.

{4:23} Mackenzie’s favorite was the Dunkin commercial with Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, Tom Brady, and Matt Damon. If you haven’t seen it, it can be summed up by saying Ben Affleck makes a fool of himself and while his friends are supportive, they also tell him to stop embarrassing himself. 

Mackenzie also notes that when she was in college, her class had to study Super Bowl commercials. During that time, the formula for a great commercial was to include either a puppy, a monkey, or a baby. And although she doesn’t remember who made this “Puppy Monkey Baby” commercial, (it was Mountain Dew by the way) she still talks about it to this day.

Is it Better to Be Memorable Or Have Your Product Stand Out?

If you watched the commercials this year, you probably noticed that more often than not, at least one A-list celebrity makes an appearance. Sometimes, these appearances overshadow  the brand and by the end of the game we’re thinking “Well that was a great commercial, but who was it for?” 

We asked Mackenzie if it’s better to have a memorable commercial or one that really highlights your brand. {6:38} As expected, she said both things should be true. Some of her favorite commercials from the Super Bowl have come from Doritos because immediately you know the brand, and they’ve always made her laugh. 

But, if you make a memorable commercial, it’s likely users will be searching for it well after the Super Bowl, just like Mackenzie does whenever the puppy monkey baby commercial comes up in conversation.

{7:52} Lily’s favorite commercial was the CeraVe commercial with Michael Cera. After doing some more research, we learned that this idea actually came from a years-old Reddit thread where consumers were questioning if Michael Cera had ties to CeraVe. 

We deem this as a top-notch commercial because CeraVe listened to what their community was saying, and continued the conversation even years later. Michael Cera even added fuel to the fire by walking around with two full bags of CeraVe weeks before the commercial aired.

{13:05} Alex’s favorite commercial was not a shock to us. As a big FRIENDS fan, she loved the Uber Eats commercial, where they played off of the idea that “to remember something you must forget something else.” Since Jennifer wants to remember that Uber Eats does more than just deliver food, she inadvertently forgets her old co-star, David Schwimmer. 

Mackenzie’s Role at Spooky Nook Sports

Okay, the first part of this episode was all about the 2024 Super Bowl commercials. But now it’s time to get to know our guest, Mackenzie Bender. We, of course, had to shout out Shippensburg University because both Mackenzie and Alex are graduates of the John L. Grove College of Business.

{18:26} Mackenzie started at Spooky Nook Sports 7 years ago, as a PR & Communications Coordinator. We asked her about how she progressed in her career and advice for those just starting. 

Be Hungry for New Opportunities. This was Mackenzie’s number 1 piece of advice. If there’s an opportunity offered and you want it, go for it. Mackenzie grew in her career by taking advantage of and saying yes to new things being offered to her. 

Get Your Start and Prove Your Worth. The rush to make six figures and endless PTO is evident in recent college graduates. And we’re taught to know our worth and stand up for ourselves. While you shouldn’t be taken advantage of, Mackenzie offers the advice to “prove your worth” in order to grow rather than expecting everything from the start.

The Sports Marketing Side

{22:12} As the Corporate Director of Marketing and Partnerships, we asked Mackenzie to first speak on the sports marketing side of her role. We were amazed to hear that Mackenzie oversees the marketing support for all 32 programs under Spooky Nook, as a majority of the marketing is done in-house – with a marketing team of five! 

We asked her briefly about how the pandemic affected Spooky Nook Sports and her marketing strategies. Not surprisingly, the Nook had to shut down and minimize their staff to about 11 people. 

She says that it was a very weird time, but ultimately made the marketing team stronger because of all the work they had to put in during the shutdown period. 

But she also noticed that sports remained a valuable want and need for consumers. So when Spooky Nook Sports was able to reopen, people were ready to be active again. Last year alone, they saw 1.6 million people come through their doors which was the biggest year they’ve had on record.

The Partnership Side

{28:56} On the partnership side, Mackenzie spends most of her time prospecting for sponsorships, forcing her to hone in on her sales side. If her team can get them in the door, there’s a good chance they’ll want to partner with Spooky Nook. If you’ve ever stepped foot into the facility, you know that there’s a great opportunity to reach a lot of people.

The Impact of Spooky Nook Sports on the Lancaster Community

{37:40} At the end of the episode, we ask Mackenzie to expand on the impact the Nook has on the Lancaster community and the next generation of athletes. And she gave us some amazing insight into this. 

At a recent Discover Lancaster meeting, they told her that Lancaster County had about 10 million visitors last year. And when you think about it, Spooky Nook Sports had 1.6 million. She also told us that after a 2017 Economic Report, she learned that Spooky Nook had a 1 billion dollar impact in just one year. 

As far as contributing to the lives of the next generation of athletes, Mackenzie encourages her team to get them involved as young as possible. If an athlete comes in for a preschool program, the Nook has opportunities for them up until and beyond college. 

She hopes that athletes can say “I grew up at the Nook” and feel like they have the same opportunities right here in Lancaster County rather than having to spend time traveling to other elite facilities in major cities.

Alex S

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