How Are You Celebrating the Big Game Sunday?

When the Kansas City Chiefs battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, twice as many of us will be watching alone, 21% of us will watch in loungewear/pajamas and 42% of viewers will use the game as a cheat day from New Year’s resolutions.

That’s according to our survey about consumer habits surrounding football’s annual championship extravaganza. We asked 2,000 football fans who plan to watch the game on Sunday, February 7 what they will be wearing, eating, and drinking — and who will be keeping them company, during the game as well as the commercials (more on that below). The survey shows that while the global pandemic may have changed the way we’ll watch the annual contest, it hasn’t dampened our enthusiasm for this longstanding American tradition.

I plan to watch the game in something comfy, and I will be sporting my old, orange Bucs hat I’ve had since high school. I adopted the Bucs as my favorite team when I moved to Tampa Bay as a teenager.

At that time, Bucs fans had suffered through many dark years until Jon Gruden took over as coach in 2002. He took our favorite team to its first championship, a lifetime sports highlight for most of us living in Tampa Bay. Now that quarterback Tom Brady has brought his skills and experience to an already good team, I’m beyond excited to see the Bucs have this opportunity, which a year ago seemed so unlikely.  

But to be honest, I’ll be happy no matter which team wins. Both the Bucs and the Chiefs, along with many more of the best national teams across many countries and sports use the Oracle Advertising and Customer Experience products I’m in charge of marketing. So the big game will be a winning experience for me no matter who takes home those rings.

Our survey showed that twice as many football fans plan to watch the game alone this year, and 8% plan to attend a virtual party to protect against the pandemic. I will be watching in the living room, lucky to be in the company of the same family “pod” I’ve been quarantined with during the COVID ’19 pandemic. 

I’ll have on hand my favorite refreshments: Coors Light for the adults, sodas for the kids, and Doritos all around. Our survey shows that 19% of viewers plan to drink more than previous years, 16% plan to “eat and drink everything in sight,” and 8% plan to “drink a lot more.” Nearly half (47%) admitted they have taken the day after the game off work to recover. But having revealed my plans in this post, it’s probably best if I show up to work on Monday.

I’m also looking forward to watching the commercials, and the football fans we surveyed agreed: 53% of people say the event wouldn’t be the same without the ads, while 16% wouldn’t watch it without the ads and 11% are only planning to watch the ads.

They are particularly looking forward to ads that use humor or convey inspirational messages. I suspect they won’t be disappointed, given the game has become a de facto competition for the best ads ever. There is nothing like the pressure of attempting to produce the best ad among great ads to bring out the finest a company has to offer. If I had to pick my all-time favorite commercial, it would have to be this one from Old Spice.

Enjoy the game.