Rob Gronkowski has a busy Super Bowl weekend ahead of him next month. The retired four-time Super Bowl champion is an NFL analyst for Fox Sports and will be kicking a field goal live in the third quarter for FanDuel’s Super Bowl spot.
“I’m more busy that whole week than when I was playing in the Super Bowl,” Gronkowski told Adweek.
On top of that, the former five-time Pro Bowl tight end is the host and “curator of fun” for his own music festival, Gronk Beach. Created with the help of business partners of the agency Medium Rare, the event will offer brands a chance to market during Super Bowl Weekend through a live event.
Monster Brewing is the presenting sponsor of the event and its first adult beverage, the beast unleashed, will be highlighted heavily during the event. Brands such as Corona, Wrangler and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Teremana Tequila have signed on as sponsors.
“As each property grows with awareness and media coverage, brand appetite and interest also increases,” co-CEO and co-founder of Medium Rare Joe Silberzweig said. “Partners love working across our Super Bowl events as it allows them to craft a Big Game Weekend marketing strategy without paying seven figure fees for a Super Bowl commercial.”
Silberzweig said brands also get the opportunity to partner directly with celebrity talent like O’Neal or Gronkowski on a campaign basis and use events like Gronk’s Beach to unveil new products, amplify marketing initiatives and reach Super Bowl consumers.
The first Gronk Beach in 2020 took place in Miami and sold out 3,000 tickets in just 10 minutes. The second event was in Las Vegas during the NFL Draft and drew about 5,000 attendees.
The event will take place at Talking Stick Resort in Phoenix and tickets go live this week. Gronk Beach features a slew of popular artists and DJs including 21 Savage, Diplo, Lil Jon and more.
Medium Rare said its event model has a 50/50 joint venture structure with its celebrity partners. Ownership of the IP and brand is shared.
Gronk Beach has been profitable since its first iteration and drives revenue from sponsorship, ticketing and VIP tables.
Adding a bit of personality
Medium Rare first started its event business in 2018 and had its first live event with former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal. It has also done similar events with restaurateur Guy Fieri.
The events usually feature several activations for brands and sponsors featured in the event.
“The whole point of Gronk Beach is to bring Rob’s personality to life,” co-CEO and co-founder of Medium Rare Adam Richman said. “This is so much more than a concert. It’s all of these experiential activations around the event, the whole Gronk Beach luau, a Hawaiian Tiki decor and that’s what fans come to expect.”
In some ways, these events work with Gronkowski, O’Neal and Fieri because they are larger than life personalities. Gronkowski has built his brand off his performance on the football field, but it’s also his ebullient character that makes brands want to work with him.
On top of the FanDuel Super Bowl ad Gronkowski has appeared in a number of spots for brands such as Subway, USAA, Tide and Frito-Lay.
“You see a lot of athletes struggle with what they’re going to do next after retirement,” Gronkowski said. “I’m in a great situation where I can work with brands and represent big companies … and I want to keep it going.”
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