Super Bowl promotions represent a significant marketing opportunity for brands across multiple sectors, particularly in the food and beverage industry. These offers often include free food items, discounted group meals, and experiential rewards tied to specific game outcomes or viewer engagement. Based on current and historical promotional data, consumers can access a variety of deals ranging from free wings to travel sweepstakes.
Food and Beverage Promotions
The most prominent category of Super Bowl freebies involves restaurant chains offering food items contingent on specific game events, such as overtime, or requiring a purchase to redeem a bonus.
Overtime-Dependent Offers
Buffalo Wild Wings has historically utilized a promotional strategy where free food is unlocked if the Super Bowl game goes into overtime. * Offer Details: The promotion provides a free order of six-count chicken wings (boneless or traditional). * Eligibility: No purchase is necessary to claim the wings if the overtime condition is met. * Redemption: If the game goes into overtime, customers can redeem the offer at participating locations during a specified window, typically on the Monday following the Super Bowl. For example, one iteration of the offer allowed redemption between 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. local time for dine-in or in-person takeout. * Frequency: This specific type of promotion is rare, as Super Bowl games rarely go into overtime. The offer is limited to one per customer.
Purchase-Required Meal Deals
Many chains offer value-added deals that require a minimum purchase or the use of a promo code. * Applebee's: Offers 20 free boneless wings with any online order of $40 or more. A specific promo code (e.g., SBWINGS25) is required to redeem this offer. * Pizza Hut: Promotes a customizable "Ultimate Hut Bundle" for a set price (e.g., $24.99), which includes two medium pizzas, boneless wings, breadsticks, and dips. * Chipotle: Runs a high-volume giveaway where 50,000 free entrees are distributed on game day. The method of claim involves monitoring the brand's social media feeds (X and Instagram) for a text-to-claim code triggered by specific in-game events, such as a fourth-down conversion or a two-point score. * TGI Fridays: Offers discounted wings (e.g., 50-cent wings) for dine-in customers on Super Bowl Sunday, along with drink specials like $2 beers and $4 cocktails. * Hard Rock Cafe: Provides a "Big Game Tailgate Menu" featuring tiered pricing for select items (e.g., pick 2 items for $25) including wings, sliders, and nachos. * Hickory Tavern: Offers an all-you-can-eat buffet for a fixed price per person. Additionally, one guest at each location watching the game in-house is entered to win "Free Wings for a Year."
Conditional Team-Based Offers
Some promotions tie free food to the winner of the game, requiring customers to be present at kickoff to qualify. * Distillery Restaurants: This Upstate New York chain has offered a free dinner (valued at approximately $15 per person) with a beverage purchase if the Atlanta Falcons win the Super Bowl. Eligibility requires the customer to be seated at the restaurant at the time of kickoff. * Friendly's: In the past, the chain has offered free sundaes with the purchase of an adult entrée in New England states if the Patriots win. Conversely, if the Eagles win, Philly-area locations have offered free sundaes to BFF Club members via an email coupon with a meal purchase.
Non-Food Promotions and Sweepstakes
Beyond immediate food gratification, Super Bowl promotions extend to consumer goods and travel.
- Kind Snacks: Instead of purchasing a traditional television commercial, the brand has allocated funds to a giveaway of $6 million worth of free Kind bars. Consumers can sign up for a free bar through the brand's website, though supplies are limited.
- Febreze: Offers a coupon for a free Small Spaces product with the purchase of any Febreze Air Effects product. The coupon is typically available in newspaper inserts or via printable versions on the P&G Everyday website.
- Aruba Tourism: Runs a sweepstakes offering a free vacation to Aruba, including hotel accommodations and standard airfare. Entry requires following Aruba on Instagram and using specific hashtags (#ArubaMVPlaya, #Sweepstakes). The contest has a defined entry window.
Third-Party Delivery Aggregators
Delivery services such as Grubhub frequently participate in Super Bowl promotions, offering discounts or bonus items with orders from specific restaurants. * Typical Offers: These may include dollar-amount discounts (e.g., $7 off a $30+ order at Pizza Hut), buy-one-get-one free deals (e.g., six-piece wings with a $15+ order at Popeyes), or percentage discounts (e.g., 25% off $30+ orders at 7-Eleven). These offers often do not require a promo code.
Conclusion
Super Bowl promotional offers are diverse, ranging from free food contingent on game length to conditional rewards based on team performance or social media engagement. While many deals require a purchase or specific action (such as using a promo code or visiting a restaurant at kickoff), others provide no-cost samples or entries into larger sweepstakes. Consumers should verify the specific terms, dates, and participating locations for any offer, as these details often vary by year and region.