Las Vegas Raiders’ Kristen Banks on marketing to old and new fans alike

The NFL proved it was one of America’s biggest cultural centerpieces — perhaps the biggest — once and for all with this year’s Super Bowl, which was the most-watched TV telecast in the U.S. ever.

Another milestone for the event? It was the first time the Super Bowl was played in Nevada, bringing football’s biggest game to Las Vegas, a hub for sports betting and home of the Raiders since 2020.

Before that, the team was based in Los Angeles and Oakland. Las Vegas Raiders’ SVP of Marketing Kristen Banks recently joined The Current Podcast to discuss the importance of balancing old and new fans alike.

“It’s [about] making sure that nothing that you’re doing is going to be damaging to the core [fan base] or feel not authentic,” she says. “We certainly have still quite a fan base in Los Angeles and Oakland. But then to say, ‘Okay, now we need to bring in new fans that are completely different that are not part of those generations, that were introduced to the team because now we’re in Las Vegas,’ [which] has never had an NFL team before.”

“You never want to upset the core, but you also want to make sure you’re doing something that still pushes the envelope a little bit so that you’re constantly growing and adapting,” she adds.

The NFL in general has attracted new fans, cementing itself as a cultural force in the U.S., especially during the most recent 2023 to 2024 season (that may, partly, have to do with Taylor Swift). On the podcast, Banks also touches on marketing differently to both the new, casual football fan and the season-ticket holders, as well as what she learned from her time at the UFC.