Ace Hardware Takes a Different Tack in High School Football Sponsorship

Ace Hardware has made its presence felt in high school sports sponsorship by partnering with ESPN's High School Football Kickoff, marking a distinct approach to home improvement category sponsorships. Unlike Home Depot and Lowe's, which focus on college football and the NFL, Ace Hardware showed up at a lower level, targeting Friday night broadcasts watched by families and repurposed on social channels followed by high school athletes.

The Helpful Player feature, which ran during ESPN's High School Football Kickoff, highlighted Battle Ground Academy quarterback Bo Bryan, son of country music star Luke Bryan. The segment featured Bryan's impressive performance in his first career start, leading his team to victory.

While Ace Hardware has been investing more in sports sponsorships, its competitors have anchored the category's spending with significant investments in college football and the NFL. Home Depot reported a net advertising expense of $1.3 billion in fiscal 2025, more than four times Ace's estimated total. Lowe's has held the NFL's home improvement sponsorship since 2019 and became presenting sponsor of NBC's Football Night in America for the 2025 season.