Executives from Caesars Entertainment were a couple of months into conversations that would turn into an expansive endorsem*nt relationship with Peyton and Eli Manning when the brothers’ weekly “Monday Night Football” companion show emerged as an unlikely TV hit.
They knew that the addition of the Mannings, including father Archie and lesser-known brother Cooper, could make for a fun twist on Caesars’ new advertising campaign. But they still were searching for a way to make the most of the appearances included in the deal.
In all its advertising, Caesars pitched its loyalty program as the differentiator, selling viewers on the idea that its sportsbook app could deliver bettors rewards that were difficult to come by, setting it apart in a crowded field.
Caesars knew it wanted Manning meet-and-greets as one of those rewards, beginning with an attention-grabber connected to the Super Bowl, where they’d be featured in a new 30-second spot. But it hadn’t landed on exactly what form that should take.
“As the discussions kept going, we were trying to think of something they would enjoy that also had something to offer that our members would enjoy,” said Chris Holdren, co-president of Caesars Digital. “Then we started to see them on Monday nights, and it was all right there. As we kept talking to them, it became clear that [a show like that] was something fun for them that would also provide this really unique experience for our Caesars Rewards members.”
Caesars debuted a new TV spot featuring the Mannings on Super Bowl Sunday, as well as hosted a private ManningCast for VIP guests.courtesy of caesars
That idea came to life during Sunday’s Super Bowl, when Peyton and Eli Manning brought a version of their now famed “ManningCast” to the stage in a ballroom at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where their insights and humor were on display in front of about 750 of the casino chain’s highest tier of customers.
At other Caesars properties in Las Vegas and around the country, about 10,000 guests at invite-only parties were able to watch the show piped in as a companion to the game, or listen to it on Bluetooth headsets that their hosts provided.
Former ESPN anchor Trey Wingo, now a Caesars spokesman and content creator, was in Las Vegas with the Mannings as a sort of co-host, focusing on changing odds and betting trends. Another ex-ESPN talent, Kenny Mayne, appeared from a party at Caesars-owned Harrah’s casino in New Orleans, the city in which Archie Manning played and the brothers were raised.
Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions, which last week announced an expansion of its deal with ESPN to include similar companion “ManningCast” telecasts around the UFC, college football and golf, produced the show with Caesars.
It was yet another example of how far the NFL has come on matters of gambling since it cautiously added Caesars as its first, and still only, league casino sponsor three years ago in January 2019.
Even after welcoming Caesars, the league would not allow the NFL shield to be posted within view of its Las Vegas sportsbook until this year, when it opened sports betting as a sponsorship category and Caesars signed on.
Caesars is in its first year as one of three official sportsbook operators and is beginning its fourth as the only official casino chain. It was able to transform what long was a traditional Las Vegas Super Bowl party meant to lure high-value players to the Strip into a VIP-only experience offered to that cohort at more than 50 of its casino and resort properties in 16 states, 11 of which offer sports betting — all with the once-averse league’s blessing.
“This is a great example of the key benefit of being a league partner and the differentiation between someone that doesn’t have the rights and does have the rights,” said Renie Anderson, the NFL’s chief commercial officer. “Frankly, anybody can have 750 people over and hire retired players. But this is a game-changer, differentiating that unique experience. We think that’s great. We encourage all our partners to do that.”
While the state-by-state rollout of online sports betting has come at a massive expense for the operators who intend to build out a national footprint, with customer acquisition costs far outpacing early revenue, it already is delivering a segment of bettors who weren’t as likely to visit a casino before they could bet on games, Holdren said.
Caesars hopes to cement those new relationships through rewards opportunities like its Super Bowl show with the Mannings, similarly to the way they have dangled meetings with entertainers and celebrity chefs in the past.
“Traditionally, we were inviting our best brick-and-mortar customers [to Super Bowl parties],” Holdren said. “So people who really enjoyed casino-style games would come in and play tables or slots. What legalized sports betting has done is to allow us to meet an entire new audience of people who are passionate about sports and love sports. So it has really expanded the appeal.”
While Holdren said the NFL was supportive of the idea from the start, there were aspects that required vetting.
Holdren was quick to point out that Caesars’ show was not quite like ESPN’s “ManningCast,” in that it did not include a live feed from this year’s game, which aired on NBC. Anderson noted that while the closed stream of the show went beyond the bounds of a traditional sponsor event, it did not infringe on network distribution rights.
“We’ve seen some awesome ideas; some amazing ones that we try to figure out and some that we know we can never do,” Anderson said. “It just depends on what the opportunities are.”
Editor’s note: This story is revised from the print edition.
