This week, with the Super Bowl imminent, we take a look at the fashion brands hosting IRL pop-ups and events tied to the big game.
The Super Bowl is one of the biggest marketing moments of the year for American brands. Already, there’s been buzz about what TV spots will run during the show and the attending campaigns that will run alongside them.
But for some fashion brands, the Super Bowl is more than just a chance to pay $8 million for a 30-second ad spot. Instead, these brands are taking the opportunity to host IRL events and activations around the Super Bowl, either in the form of watch parties, football-themed pop-ups, or activations in the city of New Orleans, where this year’s game will take place, or at Caesars Superdome during the game.
The denim brand True Religion is using the Super Bowl week to debut a wide-reaching campaign it’s calling Own Your True. The campaign will run broadly across social media, streaming services like Paramount+ and BET, and — a new area for True Religion — audio marketing through podcasts and services like SiriusXM. The first face of the campaign is Brazilian singer Anitta, one of the most popular artists in Latin America. Kristen D’Arcy, True Religion’s CMO, told Glossy that more celebrities will be part of the campaign throughout 2025, including professional athletes and musicians.
Part of the Own Your True campaign is tied to the Super Bowl. The first in-person iteration of the campaign will debut at a Sports Illustrated Super Bowl party in New Orleans on Saturday, the day before the game. True Religion is one of a few fashion brands sponsoring the party. True Religion has a group of influencers and other guests who will be wearing True Religion, and it will host a football-throwing competition at the party. Competitors will have to sign up for True Religion’s loyalty program to enter the contest.
According to D’Arcy, these IRL activations around moments in sports can be a powerful top-of-funnel marketing tool, as long as the goals and metrics are set out clearly beforehand.
“The first thing we think of around an IRL activation is the objective,” she said. “This one is multifaceted. Loyalty sign-ups are the big one. We’re also trying to drive brand awareness among an influential group of people who are on the guest list. There will be product seeding — we will be giving out True Religion jeans at the party. And the last piece is driving up our social following.”
D’Arcy said her marketing team works closely with True Religion’s financial team to ensure that any IRL activation has both specific goals and a clear path to reach them, like the loyalty sign-up requirement to take part in the contest. True Religion’s revenue grew to $280 million in 2023, and under new owners Acon Investments, it’s aiming for continued digital and physical growth.
Ticket prices for the Super Bowl are lower this year, dropping 16% from last year. That has led to a great number of people attending, with StubHub ticket sales up 12% this year. This makes in-person activations all the more appealing.
“There are tens of thousands of people who are going to be here in the city,” said Tony Shellman, head of marketing for the sportswear brand Starter.
Starter has been an active collaborator with professional sports leagues like the NFL for decades since its founding in 1971. The Super Bowl forms a central part of Starter’s marketing strategy each year — it often starts its Super Bowl planning a full year before the event begins.
This year, Starter is doing a number of IRL activations across New Orleans. At its New Orleans store, there will be Super Bowl products made in collaboration with the NFL exclusively available in store. An invite-only party in New Orleans will unveil a new satin jacket Starter is releasing in collaboration with whisky brand Crown Royal, with all proceeds from the jacket going to local New Orleans charities. And Starter will also be present with a pop-up at the Super Bowl Experience, a multi-day theme park pop-up hosted by the NFL in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
It’s a busy slate of events for Starter ahead of one of the biggest days in American sports, but Shellman said it’s worth the investment.
“We’re a sports heritage brand,” he said. “This is a tentpole moment for us.”
Sports have increasingly become an area of focus for fashion brands. Athletes from leagues like the NBA, the WNBA, Formula 1 and the NFL frequently pop up as ambassadors for major fashion brands. More major partnerships are coming up, like LVMH’s sponsorships of the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in March and the NBA All-Star Game later this month.
True Religion will be taking full advantage of the All-Star Game, as well, when it comes around. And once again, there will be an IRL component.
“We will have an NBA player on the ground in San Francisco during All-Star Game weekend,” D’Arcy said. “He’ll be wearing True Religion, going around to parties and to the game, and talking about the brand for our socials. And throughout the back half of the year, you will see a wave of new partnerships from us with football and basketball players.”
News to know
- The chaos of the Trump Administration’s multi-front trade war against countries like China, Mexico and the U.S. has already started to affect the apparel industry. The Canadian undergarment manufacturer SRTX placed a third of its workers on furlough in anticipation of stiff tariffs placed on imports from Canada by the Trump Administration.
- Similarly, the United States Postal Service briefly halted the handling of all packages from China in accordance with a Trump order that ends the de minimis exemption. But that was reversed mere hours later, leading to confusion among businesses with international shipping.
- In other geopolitical news, the Chinese government has reportedly placed PVH Corp, the owner of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, among others, onto a blacklist. China’s Ministry of Commerce said PVH “infringed the principles of market transactions and undertook damaging actions against Chinese companies.” The exact consequences of this decision are yet to be seen, but show the increased tension of operating businesses in the middle of a tense rivalry between the U.S. and China.
- New York Fashion Week officially kicks off today, with a noticeably slimmer lineup of designers showing this season compared to previous years. Seventy-five designers showed at NYFW in February of 2023, but only 54 are showing this season.
Executive moves
- Former Fendi CEO Serge Brunschwig will likely join Jil Sander as CEO, replacing Luca Lo Curzio who left the brand in November
- Ferragamo chariman Marco Gobbetti is leaving the company on March 6. A search is underway for his successor, but no one has been named yet.
- Amy Powney, creative director of Mother of Pearl, is leaving the British brand to launch her own brand. The new house is called Akyn and will begin operations in May.
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