Tonight is the NFL Draft. This event has been anticipated by fans and speculators for months who have predicted which player will go to what team in all kinds of mock drafts.

The NFL Draft could be described as the most publicized and scrutinized job employment fair in the world. Imagine this: tonight, a group of college football players will find out if they are going to be hired to play in the NFL and who their employer will be. Some of these players will become millionaires before they every play one down in the NFL. The players will be dressed to the nines and surrounded by their family and friends. The announcement of each new hire will be televised and the new employees will be immediately celebrated by standing on a stage in Detroit, Michigan alongside the Commissioner of the NFL to be cheered by fans who have traveled from all over the country to witness it all. Before they clock in for their first day of work,a host of reporters will clamor for their attention to get their take on the team they will be playing for. These players will be hailed as candidates for the Employee of the Year for their respective teams.

I have had several jobs over the years. I have been the one hired and I have done the hiring, but never have I witnessed a new employee being treated the way these young men will be tonight. Have you?

What is the connection between the NFL Draft and your marketing? First, understand that the NFL is really a marketing organization for the 32 franchises that make up the league. They are tasked with getting fans to buy tickets, watch games, purchase merchandise for those teams and to broker sponsorship deals with some of the largest corporations in the world. Just like your marketing is promoting a brand and enticing consumers to purchase your products and services, the NFL is doing so on a very grand scale. How are they doing that? One of the most effective techniques they use is to promote star players to the fan base. They have realized that some players have a bigger appeal than the team. The NFL Draft has become a method to take this first step for some of the newest stars. The NFL sets the stage and throws a party so that the consumers of football will have a new star to cheer for in each franchise. Have you ever considered promoting your employees in this way?

Second, they have understood the value of keeping their target market engaged even when football is not being played. We are months away from the start of the season, but by tomorrow, sales of jerseys will jump for the players who are selected at the top of the draft. The draft will be followed by the release of the new season’s schedule. So season ticket sales will be ramping up in a couple of weeks. It is all cleverly designed to keep the brand in front of the target market and to increase the enthusiasm for potential ticket buyers. The draft is used to kick off the marketing for the next season. Your marketing should also build anticipation to keep your target market involved with your brand. What should you be doing to keep people participating with your brand before you make the big ask of your customers?

Third, if you watch the NFL Draft tonight, notice how they have turned a very mundane process into a party. Old television footage of the draft will tell you just how much the NFL has changed this from a very boring TV event (where franchise executives sat at a desk with a phone for hours… yawn!) to a celebration of the fans and the players. How much excitement could you build around what you do if you made a celebration of it? People are naturally curious creatures. How could you showcase your brand in a party atmosphere?

The NFL Draft is more than a football employment fair, it is a lesson in marketing.