USAA’s Sponsorships Director Talks NFL Talent Partnerships and Optimizing a Lounge -

What started as a place for NFL talent to have conversations with USAA guests 15 years ago has evolved into a dynamic experience that continues to connect the military community at Super Bowl Experience (SBX) year after year.

USAA’s annual Salute to Service Lounge at the NFL fan festival offers an exclusive space for military members, veterans, USAA members and their families to hear from and meet NFL players and legends, participate in EA Sports’ Madden NFL experiences, and see the impact of the brand’s military support initiatives and nonprofit partnerships.

While the panels, talent appearances and venue design change to fit the SBX’s host city, the lounge’s aim remains the same: to reflect USAA’s “deep commitment to serving those who serve our country for over a century,” says Krissy Gorsuch, director-sponsorships at USAA, who takes us inside the activation’s strategy, development and touchpoints.

Optimizing Schedules and Venues

USAA expanded the lounge’s programming this year in San Francisco, adding a third day to have it open on the SBX’s Military Appreciation Day on Feb. 4, when all military members and their families receive free admission, courtesy of the Wounded Warrior Project.

“For the seven sessions that we had, we reached max capacity every time. We always are able to get every single body in that room for these sessions, and we get great feedback from them,” Gorsuch says. “We started to see, the past couple of years, that we have a lot of repeat visitors who have been to this before in prior years at the different markets that we’re in, and they love it so much that they continually come back to SBX just to seek out the Salute to Service Lounge. It’s been really exciting to see that it’s gained that much momentum.”

This year, lounge visitors enjoyed a new vantage point away from the Moscone Center’s main convention floor with other brand activations, and instead, convening in an upstairs ballroom. The enclosed space allowed for a more intimate, private setting—no crowd noise or thumping music peripherally heard during Q&A sessions.

“Every year, placement is a little bit different. It’s highly dependent on the space, the capacity, what we’re able to do within the floor of SBX itself,” Gorsuch says. “It worked out well for us this year because we were really the only thing on that level before you went down to SBX, and we had a registration booth, which was the first thing you saw when you walked in through the doors, so people saw the branding right away and automatically knew that we were there.”

Distilling the Right Branding Combo

In December, USAA launched its new creative platform called “Taking Care of our Own,” which was incorporated into the lounge’s branding through large display panels and a video board that, during sessions, ran videos and messaging highlighting USAA’s year-round Salute to Service efforts. Gorsuch says the team takes into account the balance of Super Bowl and NFL branding with that of USAA.

“We know people are coming to SBX and to our activation with the energy of the Super Bowl, so we want to lean into that and leverage the spirit of the city, the color palette and the style guide that we work with the NFL on. But we also want people to understand that this is a USAA space that we’re bringing to our members,” she says. “When people walk in, they get the excitement of the Super Bowl branding, and as they’re walking out, the last thing they see on the exit walls is the USAA branding for a good reminder of how USAA is showing up for the military community.”

Leveraging Authentic Talent Partnerships

A special surprise for attendees, USAA invited Ellie and Emma, two golden retriever therapy dogs with more than 17 million followers on social media (@elliegoldenlife). Along with their owner Kevin Bubolz, an Army veteran, they spent time with attendees, gave out pawtographs, helped pack 2,500 care packages for veterans at the lounge, and introduced Salute to Service Award recipient Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers on stage.

The dog influencers and McCaffrey were among several celebrities brought into the lounge, including Jaxson Dart, quarterback for the New York Giants; Emeka Egbuka, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; CeeDee Lamb, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys; Rome Odunze, wide receiver for the Chicago Bears; and, of course, brand ambassador Rob Gronkowski.

“One of the things that we look for when we’re partnering with talent is to ensure that they have an authentic military connection to maintain authenticity of the lounge,” Gorsuch says. “They’re coming to talk about their understanding and appreciation of the military, and it just comes through so much more authentically when they have that personal relationship and they understand the service and sacrifice behind what our service members go through.”

Bringing AI into the Mix

New for this year, an AI photo op was built into the queue space to engage fans as they waited for the lounge to open. In collaboration with EA Sports’ Madden NFL, of which USAA is the Official Salute to Service Partner, the photo booth ran an AI body scan of each participant, and they could then choose a Madden-inspired pose for the image that was available as a printout and downloadable file to share on social media.

“Last year, we had our own gaming kiosks so our guests who were waiting for the lounge could play Madden,” Gorsuch says. “And this year, we wanted to take it a step further so people could walk away with a keepsake and a memento of their time in the Salute to Service Lounge while keeping that interaction with Madden. It was a lot of fun, and we got some great feedback on it.”

Upcoming NFL Activations

In August, USAA and the NFL announced a multiyear extension to the longtime partnership. As the Official Salute to Service Partner of the NFL, USAA leads military appreciation throughout the season, particularly at Super Bowl, Pro Bowl Games, NFL Draft and NFL Kickoff. It is also the presenting sponsor of the Salute to Service Award, contributing $25,000 in the name of the award recipient to the military aid societies representing all U.S. military branches. New plans are on the horizon to enhance USAA’s international presence, and a one-hour Salute to Service broadcast show is in development.

Gorsuch says site visits for the next SBX in L.A. will start in the summer, and the team will evaluate the space to figure out how to “make the lounge bigger and better every year.” Talent partnerships are also on their radar year-round, with an eye particularly focused on the upcoming NFL Draft in April and working with incoming draft prospects who have military connections. Rookies and fan-favorites may be tapped for the next edition of the lounge.

“We had tremendous success this year with the content that came out of the lounge, and we’re looking at that a little bit differently—how we tell the story of the lounge, the veterans we invite to it and the talent and players involved in our Super Bowl experiences,” she says. “We’ve seen some great growth in our social engagement from last year to this year, which is a big indicator of the interest and excitement that people have for the lounge.” Agency: 160over90.

Photos: Courtesy of USAA; Juanita Chavarro Arias

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