It'll be a Quarterback Story on TV This Weekend, and Brands Like It That Way

Of all the sub-brands that the National Football League has been able to create on its stellar rise to sports and TV dominance lately, none is more powerful than The Quarterback.

Sure, there is the Super Bowl, which advertisers love. There is NFL.com, which has become popular. And most NFL teams have been superb at leveraging their own "local" brands with licensed goods and new stadiums, including the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Houston Texans.

But it's today's celebrity "field generals" who have come to embody the NFL brand, as well as their teams, more than any other factor. And that's why brand marketers including Jockey, Visa and State Farm are happy to see five of the game's best and hottest quarterbacks still playing this weekend in the four TV games comprising the so-called Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs.

A few weeks ago, Jockey took a big chance on the sustainability of Tebow Mania by launching a sweepstakes contest around Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos quarterback they signed as an endorser last year. And the underwear maker has been rewarded beyond executives' wildest dreams, as NFL fans — and many others — have become riveted on his performance last Sunday; on his beliefs and questions of divine intervention; on his upcoming showdown with a 180-degree different kind of quarterback and celebrity, the New England Patriots' Tom Brady; and on whether it's possible for America to get enough of him.

But Tebow isn't alone.

There's also his nemesis this weekend, the ever-telegenic and determined Brady, who pitches for Under Armour, Ugg, Sirius and Nike, among other brands. The New York Giants' Eli Manning has grown as a commercial presence, endorsing brands including Citizen and DirecTV, just as he has risen into the ranks of the game's elite quarterbacks on the field. There's the New Orleans' Saints Drew Brees, a one-time MVP who compiled an incredible year statistically, and who plies consumer credit for Visa as well as slinging touchdowns for his team.

And the Packers' Aaron Rodgers, last year's Super Bowl MVP, has appeared on brand endorsers' radar now as well. Last weekend, State Farm began running its second in a series of TV ads featuring Rodgers, including in this spot his teammate, defensive lineman B.J. Raji.

Yes, many brand marketers winced about their own prospects when the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning disappeared from the gridiron last fall because of a neck injury, because he was such a glib and masterful pitchman who lent his endorsement talents to a number of brands.

But Manning's fellow NFL quarterbacks have shown that they they can more than hold their own this season — on the field, and on the TV screen.