Team Green in The Big Easy

For the past five days, team members from Zeno Group have been on the ground in New Orleans supporting client activations on the largest marketing stage of the year: Super Bowl XLVII.

Here's just a glimpse of what we've had going on:

• Blanketed the ESPN compound with Pizza Hut pies
• Teamed up with the consensus No. 1 ranked QB in April’s NFL Draft, Matt Barkley, for a media blitz to promote Pizza Hut's "Hut. Hut. Hut." campaign
• Worked with legendary chef Emeril Legasse on an SMT to show how World Kitchen's Snapware brand can help fans prep for the big game
• Hit Radio Row with new Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter to talk about the latest and greatest from Sears Auto Center

Along the way, we made a few observations on how marketers, and this great city, are faring with one day left before kickoff.

It's Not Getting Any Smaller

The spectacle that is Super Bowl week has managed to get bigger yet again – much bigger. And it's happening across the board: bigger brand activations, bigger parties, more celebs, more fans, more media, more food and most notably for marketers, more pressure on brands. With massive activations taking place in NOLA and around the country for big money Super Bowl partners, your attempt to get a piece of the marketing pie this year better be bigger, smarter and more consumer-engaging than ever. It's the definition of "go big or go home."

New Orleans is Nailing It

To the surprise of no one, New Orleans is crushing the Super Bowl. It's the record-tying tenth time that NOLA has hosted, evening the score with Miami. This city has thrown a few parties before, and with the locals already primed for the heart of Mardi Gras season, the vibe is incredible. Looking past the proverbial "party" atmosphere that NOLA is famous for, it’s the smoothness of operations and logistics that make it the perfect host city. Whether you're in the French Quarter, the Warehouse District or uptown, everything is close and feels connected.

There's A Football Game, Right?

With bigger and better programs leading up to Super Bowl, it's easy to forget that there's still a game to be played on Sunday. But brands aren't turning a shoulder to the matchup itself. More and more companies are focusing activations to what happens on the field, like our Pizza Hut promise that if a player gives us a shout out and yells "Hut" during the game, America will get a free sample of the latest pizza innovation on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 4-7 p.m. Pepsi also used their sponsorship of the halftime show to engage fans, and our friends at Taco Bell are using their in-game spot to turn the Monday after the game into a product launch day.

It’s been a big week with more to come.  It’s great to know – and not at all surprising – that Zeno and its clients have played a role in the excitement.