Source: facebook.com/oreo
Each year, brands clamor to outdo one another in the most widely televised event of the year: the Super Bowl. It makes sense; brands have invested millions of dollars in a TV spot, so they want to make sure that they get the most return on their ad spending.
The best part is that we can all learn from their successes and failures without having to shoulder the hefty investment of a prime-time spot.
Our Interactive Media Director, Jeremy Braud, carefully observed ads before, during and after the game to see what innovations in advertising were debuting in 2013.
Below, he gives us five ways that we can incorporate big-budget thinking into our advertising every day.
1. Leverage the Hype
Each year brands need to decide how to release their big spots — on air or on the web. This year, brands took a variety of approaches to releasing their Super Bowl commercials. Automotive companies (Audi, Kia and Hyundai) pre-released extended cuts of their spots while some CPG brands (Coke and Doritos) encouraged fans to participate in help helping them decide what ads to run during the game. And some of the best ads (Tide’s Miracle Stain and Ram’s Farmer) were surprise entries that got a lot of mentions on social media and in the press.
Each strategy has its advantage and disadvantages. Be sure to have a campaign release strategy and use social media to help gain more views.
2. Tell Great Stories
This year’s best performing ads (Budweiser’s Brotherhood, Ram’s Farmer, Jeep’s Whole Again) all ran over 60 seconds and had simple, straightforward stories that didn’t shy away from sentimentality. In a year of kitchen soup-style ads, these ads provided a chance for incredible brand advertising. Budweiser, Ram and Jeep were able to tap into American values (camaraderie, work ethic and patriotism) that were much larger than the products they were selling, elevating their brands in the process.
3. Continue That Story Online
Instead of a one-off $4 million ad, brands backed up those investments with smart digital media initiatives aimed at extending their campaigns and making meaningful connections with fans.
Oreo used Instagram to collect fan submissions and turn their photos into a cookies or cream contest. Paramount released a Star Trek app that lets fans explore content on their phones and on the web, and even offered early ticket purchase to fans. Budweiser collected tens of thousands of submissions to name a Clydesdale, and AXE launched a site to send a fan into outer space. Even with a small budget, brands can do small things to continue their stories online (see number 5).
4. Crowdsource with Brand Principles in Mind
Some brands used mashed up ad concepts that they derived from fans on Twitter, YouTube and other social channels. While we like building a connection between consumers and advertising via social interaction, most of these ads came off as disjointed pandering — a kitchen sink approach that included overly fantastical scenarios.
Lincoln and Pizza Hut fell prey to this tactic and their ads drove them off messaging. Samsung even made fun of crowdsourcing in their funny spot. On the other hand, Doritos was able to effectively use crowdsourcing to create their two ads. They have a well-honed system for vetting user-generated ads which allows them to maintain quality control over brand standards.
5. Be Nimble and Collaborative
Some of the best marketing came during the power outage because it gave brands a chance to interact with an unexpected challenge. Oreo, Tide, Audi and Walgreens all published memes and tweets that made light of the situation by cleverly introducing their brand into the conversation. Oreo, which had the most-retweeted meme of the night, accomplished this by having their social agency and brand team in the same room watching the game. This collaboration allowed the agency to conceptualize ideas and the client to approve them on the fly.
What other advertising lessons did you learn from the game? Let us know on Facebook.