NFL's 'Shoppable Moment' on Instagram Is a Case Study in the Future of Retail

According to an article in AdWeek, “The National Football League and Instagram are teaming up on a digital shopping experience tied to one of the league’s biggest events: the NFL Draft, which will take place in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday through Saturday (April 25 through 27).” As part of the campaign, the NFL partnered with sports retail brand New Era.

Once a player is drafted, fashion photographer Geoff Levy will capture an image of the new draftee sporting his team’s New Era Draft Day hat, the article said. The photos will be shared to the NFL’s Instagram account, complete with shopping tags, enabling fans to purchase gear via the NFL Shop and connect with the league’s next wave of players. The hats will sell for $30 to $38,” according to the article.

According to another article in Variety magazine, the initiative is “a first-of-its-kind digital shopping experience for the NFL draft. It’s a ‘shoppable moment’ stunt that combines pillars of content, community and commerce.” Another word for such a moment? Content marketing.

A key feature of content marketing in 2019 is the blurring of the distinctions between historically separate dimensions of consumer experience, such as programming and shopping. Since Instagram rolled out its shopping feature in the spring of 2018, however, that line has been growing steadily more permeable. For franchise brands, content marketing initiatives like the NFL’s “shoppable moment” could prove just the gas pedal they need to drive engagement.