If you’ve watched any football this season, you’ve likely seen the numerous TV ads for FanDuel and DraftKings, two daily fantasy football websites that have taken over commercial breaks with their seemingly endless promotions. These two platforms seemingly came out of nowhere and have spent the last two months duking it out every Sunday afternoon for the attention (and cash) of football fans everywhere.
According to iSpot.tv, both companies combined spent a total of $31 million for about 9,000 television spots. The result was fans being blindsided by the barrage of ads for the two websites in the first week of the season—and the reaction on social media was not exactly kind:
“You may see more DraftKings and FanDuel ads than actual Football this NFL season.” – @AwfulAnnouncing
“Would a federal law banning all FanDuel and Draft Kings ads be illegal? Probably, but we should think it over.” – Tom Ley
“I’m pretty sure DraftKings’ & FanDuel’s advertising budget could single-handedly pay off our national debt.” – @OrdioMongo
“I’m convinced that Draft Kings and FanDuel are sponsoring every sports show segment and every other ad. #spending” – Michael Fabiano
Simply put, people seem to be annoyed by the ads. But the onslaught didn’t end after week one—it has continued every week of the NFL season so far. Complaints about DraftKings and FanDuel have become something of an online meme at this point, with users across Twitter, Facebook and Reddit being quick to get their jokes in at the websites’ expense. When it was announced that NFL player Pierre Garcon would be filing a lawsuit against FanDuel on behalf of all NFL players, the response on social media was practically gleeful.
Sensory overload
Although the two companies have definitely pulled in big business, they have also become bearers of a toxic public image. Football fans across social media express their hatred for these companies every week—and for what? It seems to be more about the frequency of the ads more than the games they offer.
The response to FanDuel and DraftKings shows there really is such a thing as overexposure when it comes to marketing and advertising.
All businesses can learn something from this response. Avoid flooding your customers’ email inboxes and social media newsfeeds. Fewer, smartly targeted messages can be more effective than a downpour of ads and marketing messages at all hours of the day. You’ll maintain a better brand image and avoid turning away members of your target audience.
Tim Backes is a senior editor with ProPRcopy, a respected copywriting service that assists businesses and organizations across nearly all industries.