Dive Brief:
- Little Caesars is preparing for the 2025 NFL season with a slate of deals and marketing programming, including a co-branded campaign with Pepsi, according to a press release. The brand is entering its fourth year as the NFL’s Official Pizza Sponsor.
- Included in its efforts are partnerships with San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Additionally, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will feature in the co-branded Pepsi effort.
- The QSR marketer is also partnering with select NFL teams for specialized branding and in-game activations in their local markets. Among the deals on deck, the brand is bringing back its Pizza! Pizza! Pregame Challenges that allow consumers to earn various rewards.
Dive Insight:
Little Caesars is celebrating its fourth year as the NFL’s Official Pizza Sponsor with a variety of deals and marketing plays centered around the fan experience and its well-known “Pizza! Pizza!” tagline. The slate of programming arrives as brands on a broader scale are contending with increased pressure to meet consumer demands for value, even as their own manufacturing and import costs rise as a result of tariffs.
Beginning Aug. 25, consumers can get two large, one-topping pizzas for $4.99 each when they buy both using an online code. Little Caesars is also bringing back its Pizza! Pizza! Pregame programming that allows consumers to score better rewards. Beginning Sept. 4, consumers within the Little Caesars app can complete the Pizza! Pizza! Pregame Challenges on NFL game days to earn a share of over $5 million rewards and prizes. These moves could help the QSR shore up stronger loyalty while acquiring valuable first-party data.
The brand is also strengthening its NFL presence through a partnership with San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle, who stars in its first commercial of the season to declare “Little Caesars is the Real Deal.” Additionally, Detroit Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown will return for marketing efforts highlighting the pizza chain’s status as the Official Pizza Sponsor of the league. A co-branded campaign with Pepsi featuring Super Bowl champion Saquon Barkley is new this year and could help the marketer drive additional reach.
Little Caesars is also teaming with a handful of NFL teams for specialized branding and in-game activations throughout the season. Participants include the Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers.
As part of a charitable component, Little Caesar’s Love Kitchen, a mobile pizza kitchen that serves communities in need, will travel to key NFL event cities throughout the season to provide pizza to communities in need. The Love Kitchen celebrated 40 years of service this year.
Little Caesars’ football marketing arrives as others similarly gear up for the season. White Castle Frozen Foods earlier this week announced it will serve as the official series sponsor of a podcast focused on name, image and likeness rights hosted by sibling football standouts Caleb and Josh Downs. Others, including DoorDash, Bud Light and Applebee’s, have also looked to tap into hype ahead of season kickoff.
