WWE kicks, punches, slams marketing efforts into high gear ahead of WrestleMania, its big event

This 12 months’s WrestleMania is solely days away, however the WWE’s marketing marketing campaign for its largest top class reside event of the 12 months was once kicked into overdrive months in the past.

In February, 3 days prior to the Super Bowl, with all eyes on Las Vegas, WWE attempted to seize some of the NFL’s highlight for itself.

The sports activities leisure corporate held a press convention in Las Vegas on the T-Mobile Arena, simply down the street from the stadium the place the Super Bowl was once being performed, to advertise WrestleMania XL, a two day event in Philadelphia that starts Saturday. It plugged appearances via best stars together with Cody Rhodes and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who just lately become a board member for WWE’s guardian corporate, TKO Group. The loose event, which was once reside streamed on Peacock, was once a bid to take hold of the eye of the hundreds of soccer lovers on the town, and possible audience national.

Thousands confirmed up for the event which didn’t come with any wrestling, however The Rock did slap Rhodes around the face, garnering 15.7 million perspectives throughout all of WWE’s social media platforms in not up to 12 hours. More than 4.7 million other people watched the event reside, making it the most-viewed outdoor the hoop event in WWE historical past, in line with the corporate. The press convention had greater than 100 million perspectives in not up to 12 hours.

WWE launched its WrestleMania XL video at the day of the Super Bowl. That video has collected greater than 5 million perspectives and depending on WWE’s account on X, previously referred to as Twitter.

Jason Cielsak, president, Pacific Rim, at logo enjoy company Siegel+Gale, says that the way in which the WWE crafts its WrestleMania messaging makes lovers longing for an event the place many of the storylines which were evolving over the 12 months are resolved within the ring.

“It is a master class in marketing steeped heavily in storytelling and drama that many of the major sports leagues and even television writers could learn from,” Cielsak mentioned.

The Rock’s participation in WrestleMania XL, given his longstanding ties to WWE and his film superstar standing, is a substantial asset.

“The benefits to WWE are numerous and help position the organization as a credible entertainment entity, luring “future Rocks” looking for international stardom,” Cielsak mentioned.

WWE has additionally been the usage of its skilled dating with two of the corporate’s largest social media personalities, Logan Paul and Pat McAfee, to advertise WrestleMania XL. Paul, WWE’s present United States champion, a co-founder of Prime beverage corporate, podcaster and YouTuber, uploaded a video on X along with his response to the WrestleMania XL press convention. Paul recently has 23.5 million subscribers on YouTube and six.8 million fans on X.

McAfee, who rejoined WWE’s Raw statement workforce and co-hosted the WrestleMania XL press convention, just lately interviewed The Rock on his self-titled tv display on ESPN. A clip of the video posted to McAfee’s X account has greater than 3 million perspectives.

The promotional buildup to WrestleMania advantages no longer most effective the corporate, but in addition localities the place the event is being held. Last 12 months, WrestleMania 39, which was once held at SoFi Stadium, generated $215 million for the Los Angeles area, in line with a find out about performed via Applied Analysis. WWE mentioned that broke its prior document from a 12 months previous, when WrestleMania 38 had a $206.5 million financial have an effect on for the Dallas/Arlington area.

WWE says that since 2016, WrestleMania has generated greater than $1.2 billion in cumulative financial have an effect on for the towns that experience hosted the event.

Shares of TKO Group Holdings, Inc., primarily based in primarily based in Stamford, Connecticut, are up nearly 7% this 12 months.