Discovery Channel’s Shark Week has attracted a school of new sponsors to go along with a number of marketers returning to the toothsome annual event, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.
New Shark Week advertisers include Airbnb, Morey’s, Nautica, PNC Bank, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews and Sport Clips.
The new advertisers join returning sponsors GEICO, Gorilla Glue, Jeep brand, Wayfair and Sonic Drive-In.
This year, Shark Week offers crossplatform sponsorship opportunities such as social media campaigns across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter Amplify, as well as on-air elements that include custom vignettes, tagged tune-ins, billboards and in-program messaging. On Discovery Plus, Shark Week is offering pause ads to advertisers.
“Shark Week’s programming keeps viewers coming back annually while providing our clients with sponsorship opportunities across linear and digital platforms that reach their target consumers wherever and whenever they view content,” Warner Bros. Discovery executive VP, ad sales Scott Kohn said. “We partner with our clients to custom create impactful advertising opportunities based on their overall marketing objectives, and that unique offering has allowed us to generate impressive interest for 2023 sponsorships ahead of the premiere Shark Week 2022.”
Also: Shark Week to Feature ‘Impractical Jokers’ Guys
Many advertisers are offering customized promotions designed to give their Shark Week sponsorships a bigger bite.
For example, Sonic Drive-Ins will be returning with its Shark Week Slush, a big hit last year. The special concoction will be available at participating Sonic locations through July 31.
“Sonic is thrilled to bring back our Shark Week Slush for the second summer in a row and help fans take a bigger bite — or sip —out of Shark Week,” Mackenzie Gibson, VP of culinary & menu innovation at Sonic, said. “By layering our tropical, blue coconut Slush with real, juicy strawberries and shark gummy candies, our culinary team has created a tasty and visually thrilling treat that will mentally transport guests to their favorite oceanside destination. Just be sure to look out for sharks before diving in!”
Sonic donates a portion of its proceeds from drink sales to support local public schools through Limeades for Learning.
Jeep will be doing a Shark Week sweepstakes. The grand prize is a shark dive trip for two from Islander Charters and $20,000 cash. Fans can enter through August 12 at sharkweek.com/sweeps.
Shark Week has been a pop-culture phenomenon for 34 years. For the first time, Shark Week has a master of ceremonies, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stepping into the ring.
Shark Week 2022 features 25 hours of programming that starts on July 24 and takes viewers to new locations from the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas to Papua, New Guinea.
Programming will spotlight innovative technology and research in exciting new series and specials, new species and never-before-seen footage of walking sharks and other predators captured on-camera by field teams.
With the formation of Warner Bros. Discovery, TBS, TNT, truTV, Food Network, HGTV, CNN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Animal Planet, Science Channel, ID, OWN, TCM, Discovery Plus and HBO Max are all involved in Shark Week. ■
