Tailgates, Touchdowns & TikToks: The Fall Growth Playbook

This isn’t just football season.
It’s buying season.
And if your brand isn’t thinking about how to show up where fans gather, you’re punting your best Q4 opportunity.

Let’s break it down:

• $17.3B – the expected consumer spend just for the Super Bowl.

• $743 – what the average football fan plans to spend this season.

• 107M lbs – of snack food consumed during the Super Bowl week alone.

• 90% of fans are watching from home or a house party, not the stadium.

That’s not a trend — that’s culture.
And smart brands are weaving themselves into the fabric of it — without touching NIL or dropping 7 figures on sponsorships.

Case in Point: Hefty, Frank’s, and Bubble Skincare

These brands don’t scream “football,” but they executed like champions.

Hefty launched limited-edition “Kickoff Cups” printed with icebreaker questions for tailgate parties. They became conversation starters — not just cups. Cheap to produce, viral to share.

Frank’s RedHot created a character called “The Dean of Tailgating” to launch their new squeezable bottles. They didn’t need Travis Kelce — they made the fan the star. And their sales ticked up, even as the rest of McCormick’s portfolio was flat.

Bubble Skincare (a Gen Z skincare brand) hit SEC tailgates and handed out samples at Florida and LSU. Because if you want to win the TikTok crowd, you don’t run Facebook ads — you show up where they’re pregaming with glitter paint.

These are low-cost, high-impact campaigns that meet fans in their rituals: tailgates, house parties, and game day group chats.

What Can You Actually Do About This?

1. Drop a Tailgate Pack.
   If you’re in food, beverage, wellness, or anything vaguely CPG — create a limited run game day edition. Don’t overthink it. Tailgate-friendly packaging, football flavor names, red/blue/green design swaps.

2. Run “Homegate” Creative.
   90% of fans aren’t at the stadium — they’re on their couch. Show up in the scroll with ad creative that matches that setting. Wings. Dips. Drinks. The crew. Even skincare or supplements can get in on this. (“Prep for the Big Game with…”)

3. Pop Up at Campus Tailgates.
   If you’re trying to win over 18–30 year olds, find your way to a college football lot. One booth + some freebies + a good TikTok strategy = the kind of brand love you can’t buy through media.

4. Give Them Something to Share.
   Think beyond the product. What can you create that makes people want to post? A branded red solo cup with a funny line. A game-day bingo card. A sweepstakes that rewards the loudest fan.

The takeaway:
You don’t have to sponsor a team or hire an athlete to win during football season.
You just have to show up where fans are — and add something to their experience.
Tailgates, group chats, snack tables, and IG stories are your real stadium.

Make a play.
The season’s sneaking up on us.