On Monday, Rovio and the Philadelphia Eagles are announcing a partnership that will include an Eagles-centric Angry Birds game to be launched in the fall and a marketing push that will include everything from social media initiatives to integration on local team television shows and even in-stadium displays.
For instance, according to the team, if defensive lineman Trent Cole sacks New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, the stadium’s video board will dump the traditional sack animation for a new one–an animation in which Angry Birds character “Big Brother Bird†Terence knocks Manning over. In short, for Angry Bird-addicted football fans, there will be no escaping your thumb-hurting vice this fall.
(Watch an animated video below of Eagles coach Andy Reid announcing the newest members of the team.)
Andrew Stalbow, Rovio’s General Manager for North America, said the Eagles partnership is part of the company’s “aggressive road map†for growth which he said focuses on expanding the company from a gaming company to an entertainment company.
“We’re very selective, we haven’t done a lot of partnerships so when we do them we want to do them deep and well,†Stalbow said. He said you can count those deep partnerships on one hand–including the most notable one, a deal with 20th Century Fox’s film “Rio.†The company also paired with racing league Formula One for a mini-game, though the Eagles are the first sports team to ink a deal.
“I think if we can be smart, there are organic partnerships and it’s a great way to grow our business,†Stalbow said. “One of the things we’re quite proud of is that we were able to grow our business without spending money on marketing and partnering is key.â€
Ari Roitman, the Eagles’ senior vice president of business, said the idea came when, like most businesses, his office became obsessed with the game. With the obvious bird theme in common, Roitman made about a year’s worth of calls before the team sold the Finnish company on the idea.
“This is, for them, a test the waters type of a partnership and we desperately wanted to go first,†Roitman said. “We did not want anyone else in this country to have a partnership with these guys before we did. It’s a pretty competitive avian sports nickname landscape out there.
“I think they understand, and this was part of our pitch, that this is a very scalable partnership for them and if it succeeds and we have every confidence it will, this could open a massive door for them to walk right into,†he said.
Stalbow said it’s unclear whether more sports partnerships will be struck, though he pointed out that there are plenty of bird-theme brands in sports. (Eleven in the four major professional sports alone: in the NFL, the Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks; in the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks; in MLB, the St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays; and in the NBA, the Atlanta Hawks.)
Rovio recently announced a separate Angry Birds follow up, “Amazing Alex.†Stalbow also said Rovio is putting a focus on a new Angry Birds weekly animated series due out this fall.
Roitman acknowledges that an entire generation of younger fans may appreciate the intricacies of Angry Birds more than say, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick’s scrambling ability. The team hopes the video game will draw younger fans to the team.
“We’ve got to think about the generation that’s coming into the prime years for loyalty–who are they going to choose and what are they going to choose more importantly?†Roitman said. “Is it going to be football or another form of entertainment. This is very much a play for that younger generation.â€
WRITTEN BY Kevin Clark at WSJ
