When the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens kickoff Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans this February, these proud franchises will be gunning for yet another Lombardi Trophy to put on the mantle – and their fans are ready for a showdown.

The 49ers are NFL royalty. The first winners of four Super Bowl championships in the 80’s and another in 1994, this Bay Area team maintains a loyal fan base. They remain the only team in NFL history to appear in more than one Super Bowl without ever losing. Currently tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the second-most Super Bowl wins, one more championship for the 49ers puts them head-to-head with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Championships in the modern era.

The Ravens are no neophytes to success themselves. The team – boasting a passionate fan base of its own – clinched its first Super Bowl win after only four years in the NFL. However, the Ravens came to be when former NFL President and team owner Art Modell moved the players and organization of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore (a consolation prize for a city that lost its beloved Colts to Indianapolis way back in 1984). Prior to their move to Baltimore, the Browns won multiple championships even before the inception of the Super Bowl. Obviously, a lot has since happened. Now, the time has come and fans are anxious to see its team steal the spotlight – no small feat.

At this year’s game, both teams are playing one mean game of tug-of-war – with the 49ers anxious to revamp their legacy, and the Ravens attempting to start one. The San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens will be in the ultimate face-off, but the showdown extends beyond the field. The fans are as important to the livelihood of the team as the players themselves, and on Super Bowl Sunday, they’ll be hashing out their differences, too.

Our audience insights team has dug deeper into what makes each team tick. On Game Day, what will each team ultimately look like?

[Extra Point] The Ravens are named after Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” – quite possibly the only professional sport franchise named after a poem.

A Tale of Two Cities

San Francisco and Baltimore are about as different as some of the television shows that have been based in their respective cities, such as “Full House”, a family sitcom based on a humorous journey growing up in a single dad household in San Francisco, and “The Wire”, a crime drama focusing on Baltimore’s societal dark underbelly.  These shows depict the two cities to be as different as zebras and lions, and that’s only the beginning.

Residents of San Francisco enjoy a flourished economy that has been increasingly tied to Silicon Valley since the Dot-Com bubble of the 1990’s and the Web 2.0 boom of the late 2000’s. In contrast, Baltimore, once a predominant industrial town, has undergone social and economic changes which have drastically affected the city’s financial landscape. The city now relies on a low-wage service economy with 22.4% of its population living below the poverty line.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It can be inferred that these teams will have a very different fan base, and so our audience insights capabilities did some investigating. First, more useful insights can be gleaned by exploring how these two sets of fans compare to a typical NFL fan. In order to do so, we took a sample of users who viewed content related to the 49ers, Ravens, and NFL in general using our best of breed contextualization engine, zooming in on our intended audience. We then looked at additional topics they were interested in and pulled out other statistically significant attributes.

BYOB

Beer and football go together like breakout seasons and contract renegotiations. However, if you’re watching the game at a 49ers fan’s home, you might want to skip out on grabbing that six pack. Our data shows that 49ers fans are much more likely to drink wine as opposed to beer – at least when compared to the average NFL fan. Additionally, they aren’t as fond of liquor. So, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets it is.

[Extra Point] 49ers fans are used to the finer things on and off the field, boasting several former players in the NFL Hall of Fame including Jerry Rice, Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott and Steve Young.

However, and not surprisingly, they also have a much higher affinity for herbal remedies and alternative medicine.

Flocking to Flacco

Joe Flacco, quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, is an imposing presence standing at 6’6”. It is a good thing for him because he has some big shoes to fill.  Former Baltimore Colts’ (before their relocation to Indianapolis) quarterback Johnny Unitas – or “Johnny U” –  remains Baltimore’s most beloved signal caller of all-time, leading the team from the late 50’s through the early 70’s. Many of today’s Baltimore fans may have been around to see “Johnny U” play in person, as they appear to be a bit more mature than the typical NFL fan. Much like Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, many of them are planning for retirement.

Retiring will provide them with more time to watch not only “American Football”, but Soccer as well. Our data shows Ravens fans over 1.5 times more likely to be interested in Soccer when compared to all NFL fans – the World Cup in particular.

Everybody wants to be in the Winner’s Circle

What’s even more interesting is how both teams’ fans change as the season progresses. Examining data leading up to, and including, the playoffs highlights a significant shift in the fan base of each team.

For the San Francisco 49ers, risktaker quarterback Colin Kaepernick (NFL’s talk of the town since he started last November after former starting quarterback Alex Smith suffered a concussion) seems to be influencing the fan base. There was significant lift in 49ers fans emerging from metro areas in Wisconsin. While this seems bizarre at first glance, further research indicates this is most likely due to Kaepernick being a Wisconsin native.

[Extra Point] The difference in NFL experience is also noteworthy. Joe Flacco has an 8-4 playoff record and started 80 regular season games. Conversely, Kaepernick has a 3–0 playoff record but has been the starting quarterback for just 9 games. His 10^th start will come on the biggest football stage in the world. No pressure.

We know there was an influx of Wisconsin fans for the 49ers. But the Ravens, despite prior observations of their less wealthy residents, are experiencing an influx of wealthier fans. However, some of these fans may prefer to watch the game while enjoying caviar and crackers as opposed to chips and dip due to their affluence. The number of Ravens fans who have a discretionary income of $200k+ increased by 36% leading up to, and during, the playoffs. This is particularly telling as lift for this economic cohort is slightly negative when looking at all NFL teams combined.

[Extra Point] In some instances, the fan base isn’t as different. Jackie and Jack Harbaugh will have challenges finding an outfit for the game. Why? They’re the parents of both 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. Well, that’s awkward.

Not just a man’s world…

Another late season trend appears for both teams as well as the NFL in general – the abundance of female fans. This was made obvious by identifying increased shopping behavior around items such as cosmetics and women’s clothing. Key NFL brands and products have taken notice and are increasingly catering to this additional audience. Female artists such as Faith Hill, Taylor Swift, and Pink have recently performed at NFL events (all of whom have managed to do so without wardrobe malfunctions). Even Oprah is reaching out to women who are interested in, or looking to learn more, about the NFL. Her website recently posted an article by Holly Robinson Peete (actress and wife of former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete) outlining ways for women to better understand and follow football games.

The NFL has taken it a step further, fully participating in Breast Cancer Awareness month by outfitting their players with pink game gear and raising over $3 million for the American Cancer Society to date.

Speaking of women, 49ers fans index 81%  higher in affinity towards Beyoncé when compared to Ravens fans.  While not even existing in the same universe as a “statistically valid predictor of success” on the field, getting the crowd pumped up could very well be the tipping point in winning this closely contested game.

 

Game On!

As the Super Bowl nears, marketers and brands are spearheading full-force into their Super Bowl campaigns. Using our audience insights, we are able to see what differences really go down between the two teams’ fans – and knowing is the first crucial step to truly engaging them in our campaigns.

That being said, GO 9’ERS!