Chamber Insider Blog

Sustainable Opportunities After Super Bowl Sunday

The Holiday Season Now Ends With Super Bowl Sunday

That Means Opportunities for Loudoun Sustainable Businesses

Post by Lynne Kaye, of Unison Advisory Group, and a member of the Green Business Initiative committee

Researchers at Cornell who were looking into how well Americans kept their New Year’s resolutions made a startling discovery.  Americans no longer consume the highest number of calories at Thanksgiving or the period that spans Christmas and New Year’s.  We now consume the highest number of calories during Super Bowl week.  In other words, based on American eating habits, the holiday season now ends with Super Bowl Sunday.  

source

Thanks to the popularity of football, special TV commercials, a halftime show that outdraws the game, and no religious affiliation, Super Bowl Sunday is now one of the most universally celebrated days on the American calendar.  113.7 million people watched last Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast, while about 1 million attended live Super Bowl activities in Houston.  According to a survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans expected to spend over $14 billion on food, decorations, team apparel, TVs and other items for Super Bowl parties. 

What do these findings mean for Loudoun’s sustainable businesses?  They mean opportunity because a huge percentage of the Loudoun and DC Metro area population likely celebrated the Super Bowl last Sunday.

  • If you are in a business that promotes a healthy eating or physical fitness, the chart above suggests that the holiday season just ended, and your potential customers may now be ready to improve their lifestyle.
  • If you are in the restaurant or catering business, a “Meatless Monday” or other special menu may bring in customers who are ready to eat more healthfully.
  • If you are a local food or beverage producer, the New Year’s through Super Bowl season is a great opportunity to work on gaining market share.  The National Retail Federation survey found that almost 80% of Super Bowl spending was on food and beverages, and as the “Avocados from Mexico” ads reminded us, many Super Bowl parties were filled with food and beverages flown, trucked and shipped in from other places. 

Even if your business is not directly related to food, beverages or health, your business may have opportunities.  The New Year’s to Super Bowl Sunday supply chain is huge, diverse and stretches around the globe.  There are tremendous opportunities to improve its sustainability.  Food production involves a huge variety of non-food materials and consumes approximately 30% of the world’s energy and 70% of its water.  In addition, about 40% of the food that is grown is wasted before it makes it to consumers.  Then, there is the food waste from Super Bowl parties…  Americans also bought decorations, TVs, apparel, travel and other items between New Years and the Super Bowl.  With all this diversity, there is probably somewhere your business can play.

The next Super Bowl will be held February 4, 2018 in U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN, making the next holiday season from Thanksgiving on November 23, 2017 through Super Bowl Sunday.  Will we have an extra special end to the season with Loudoun’s own Redskins playing?  It is too early to know.  We do know people in Loudoun will be celebrating the Super Bowl by watching, eating and drinking,  and that spells opportunity for Loudoun’s sustainable businesses.

Take the Loudoun Sustainable Business Certification Challenge Today!