NFL marketing strategist Sunny Mehta: 'It’s all about listening to the people'

In 2022, the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with superstar Tom Brady and the Seattle Seahawks attracted worldwide attention when 70,000 enthusiastic fans sang Country Roads in the Allianz Arena in Munich, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere that is rarely seen in European football stadiums. An international game in Frankfurt followed in 2023.

Driven by the positive developments of the last five to 10 years, the National Football League (NFL) entered the Brazilian market (in Sao Paulo) for the first time in September 2024.

This is reason enough to talk to Sunny Mehta, who works in the NFL's International Marketing Strategy & Fan Development Department, in an exclusive interview about the development and goals of the NFL International Series, as well as to shed light on the upcoming game in Munich.

When asked about the biggest lessons learned in relation to the games in Germany (Munich 2022 and Frankfurt 2023), Mehta cites above all the Germans' great understanding of American football.

“I think, and this is from me personally, the learnings are that Germany and the region love American football in a very unique and authentic way," he explained.

"They adore the sport and understand it in a very American way. They know the right times to cheer - they are not just cheering for the big plays but also situationally for the game. I think that’s fundamental to the growth of the sport as there is an advanced learning and appreciation for the game.”

This was an understanding of American football that was not yet fully apparent in Sao Paulo in September 2024 – it was the very first NFL game in Brazil. According to Mehta, cultural differences between Europe and South America also play a role.

He added: “The culture is very different - equally loud, but very different. At the Munich and Frankfurt games, you see a lot of people tailgating, having their beers - they are talking and excited about the game. In Brazil, it felt very much like an experience. It also was the first time.

"The people who were there have loved the game for 15-20 years and were just excited about having that appetite for fans, whereas Germany has loved the NFL. They have the European League of Football and they’ve had NFL Europe - they’ve had ways to grow their game organically and celebrate that.

"In Brazil, everything felt new. That is why we had a need for the halftime artist to be a global superstar playing music in front of her home country. It was not only the first moment for the NFL but also the first for the sport. So, you can feel the cultural differences - the music, the dancing, but also the weather.”

While the NFL in Sao Paulo relied on the popular Brazilian singer Anitta as the half-time show act, in Munich in 2022 and a year later in Frankfurt, the fans themselves provided a musical highlight.

In the style of a giant choir, 70,000 enthusiastic fans sang Country Roads arm in arm. A magical moment that Mehta will not forget for a long time either, but he told Flashscore how this goosebump-inducing moment was made possible.

“It’s all about listening to the people. The reason it came on is because a staffer who was walking through the stadium pre-game heard that people were singing it. She called the presentation team and said, ‘Hey, you should play this because people are really singing it'.

"I mean, our employees don’t know every detail of the culture in our markets. So, in everything we do, it’s understanding what the people like, what they like about our sport, and how they made it their own.”

Anyone who follows the NFL on NFL Game Pas will have noticed that the NFL also uses the scenes to promote various products. The marketing strategist confirms the ingenuity of this advertising message: “We are advertising that because it was such an organic and authentic moment.”

But the NFL headquarters does not want to rest on its laurels; rather, the aim is to create more of these magic moments. How can that be achieved?

Mehta answered: “It’s quite simple - it’s listening to the people. That comes with every piece of it.

"In every market, no matter what it is, we use our boots on the ground. We listen to the people who work in Germany, England or Brazil that know their audience and say, 'Hey, this is how we engage, how we appreciate sports?'

"Football in the NFL is also an American sports property and often times fans are looking for that American experience. We are always trying to find that mix between what makes the NFL great and what makes international fans love the NFL, along with pairing it with regional things that work the best.”

These principles will also be in place next Sunday when the 2024 Munich Game between the New York Giants and the Carolina Panthers draws 70,000 fans once again. Even though neither team has been particularly convincing so far this season, Mehta still expects an exciting and close game.

But American football is much more than just the game itself; it is, above all, an all-day gameday experience, for which Mehta and his team have set themselves clear goals.

“For us, it’s making sure that people have that same NFL-standard experience. Of course, you have the best product on the field, but you also want the most fun and exciting product off the field. It is the greatest show on earth, at least in my humble opinion.

"Being able to give fans that opportunity to come together, often in Europe where we have such passionate fan bases, is difficult. Usually, you have to watch the games in bed or highlights the next morning, but we love all our fans, and I think fundamentally what we want is just a celebration of that community. All people coming together and enjoying the sport they typically watch in smaller groups.”

The NFL International Series 2024 comes to an end on Monday, November 11th. Plans for 2025 are already in full swing. It is not yet clear whether new markets will be developed soon. 

In any case, Sunny Mehta can imagine many new destinations to make the NFL product and brand even more global. A key role is played by flag football, which will be an Olympic sport for the first time in Los Angeles in 2028.

“Every market in the world that is interested in the game is interesting for us as well. We are ambitious and have plans to go to a lot of different countries - ones we already have a footprint in and ones we don’t. So, I think a lot of it is how we continue to grow, and fundamental to that growth is flag football.

"As the sport grows through the youth as we go to the Olympics, we know the countries that are obviously interested in those games now, but a lot of countries that have good fundamental youth programs could be interested - for example, Australia, France, Italy, and Austria, which are obvious ones due to their infrastructure. Also, markets in the Middle East could be interested.”

One thing is clear at the end of our conversation: the NFL is serious. American football is increasingly becoming a global super sport.