Heinz Yellow Mustard has become the official Mustard sponsor of the NFL in the UK.

With the long-standing association between the humble hot dog, American-style yellow mustard and the NFL, it makes this partnership a perfect one.

The NFL has played 17 games in London in the past decade and is set to play four for the first time this season, including two at Wembley and Twickenham. As the fastest growing sport in the UK, more than 1.5 million people will have attended NFL regular-season games in London by the end of this season. The growing popularity of the NFL in the UK means the partnership is set to raise further awareness of the brand, aiming to position Heinz Yellow Mustard as the number one yellow mustard brand nationwide.

With a marketing investment of over £400k, the activity is being supported by above the line social activity, which goes live from August 14. The campaign is brought to life with the Heinz Yellow Mustard ‘Ultimate Playbook’, with social posts focusing around host food inspiration, NFL education and fun facts. 

A competition will be running throughout the NFL’s London Games season, with entrants being asked to upload their ‘ultimate play’ to the ’Ultimate Playbook’. This will include food hacks, tips and tricks using Heinz Yellow Mustard to help create the ultimate game day feast. New prizes will be opened each quarter with entrants having the opportunity to win bundles of merchandise, access to UK game tickets, and the grand prize of a trip to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis.

Joel Hughes, senior brand manager at Heinz Yellow Mustard, said: “The partnership between our mustard and the NFL in the UK is extremely exciting as it places Heinz Yellow Mustard as the go-to condiment at the NFL games, therefore driving further awareness of the brand and its fantastic taste credentials. Heinz Yellow Mustard is the number one yellow mustard on key metrics of ‘great quality’ and ‘worth paying for more’[1], and has the fantastic association of being the perfect condiment to a hot dog which is staple of NFL game days. With many consumers planning to sit and enjoy the NFL on their televisions at home, and stats showing that during the 2016-17 season NFL television coverage in the UK attracted more than 23 million unique viewers, it creates the perfect opportunity for consumers to gain access to unique prizes and create game time snacks at home featuring Heinz Yellow Mustard.”

Melissa Brown, NFL UK’s vice-president of commercial partnerships, said: “Our partnership with Heinz Yellow Mustard gives us the opportunity to present our sport to new fans in a fun, creative and engaging way and we look forward to a successful relationship with such a forward-looking brand.”