Welcome back to Marketing2015.
In
the days since the Intro to Intro post, there has occurred one of the most
anticipated marketing events of the year, Superbowl XLIX. (Shout-out to my
Patriots for another great win, PATSNATION!!! TB12 is the Best. Period.) The
game was an instant classic in every sense on the field, and a surprisingly
memorable one for the commercials as well. For the purpose of this blog, in
that it’s about marketing, most discussion will stay focused around the advertisement
blitz that is the “big game.”
If you were to ask a random
sampling of Americans whether they watch the Superbowl more for the game itself
or more for the commercials, a very large percentage of people would
undoubtedly respond toward the latter. This year’s game set a record for TV viewership
with 114.4 million sets tuning in. In a country of roughly 315 million people,
that is a pretty astounding number. The largest markets were obviously the New
England and Seattle areas but together they don’t combine to nearly that figure.
So why are the majority of people watching TV at that time watching the
Superbowl? (71% to be exact) Hint: it is not due to an inherent love of
football. Americans have come to anticipate and desire the 4-hour overdose of
marketing! We now welcome the chance to see an incredibly vast spectrum of
products and services that is sure to include many of our favorite brands. Many
companies use this event as a springboard for a new product, product line, or
marketing campaign. Almost all of brands use commercials that have been made specifically
for the Superbowl and are kept off air until their debut during the game, which
makes a lot of sense because when you spend $4.5 million on a 30 second spot,
you want to maximize the value of your ad. While on the topic of price, although
the $4.5mm seems astronomical, you’re reaching about 25.5mm viewers per dollar
which appears to be a value when you think about it.
We have come to expect a certain
type of commercial from certain brands that historically advertise heavily
during the game. Some examples would be Bud Light with their “Up For Whatever”
campaign, Budweiser with something sentimental usually involving a puppy, some
Clydesdales, or both, Old Spice with some nonsensical song about smelling good,
and Doritos using some form of humor and outrageous plot. This year’s game
welcomed most of these, as we would have expected, but also some unfamiliar
brands toting a less familiar message. Most people would consider this year’s
ensemble of commercials more emotional and heartfelt than those of recent
memory where humor was more the go-to emotion to play on. There were also more
PSA type commercials hoping to restore the image of violence that has taken
over the NFL this season.
Two
advertisements in particular stuck out most to me from the lot of them; one for
being what I consider a great commercial and a good use of company budget, the
other the opposite of that. The commercial that stuck out to me for the right
reasons was made by the Italian carmaker Fiat. It depicted a little blue pill
(you’re meant to infer Viagra) falling through the streets of Italy and finally
into the gas tank of a 2-door Fiat coupe, at which point the car grows to a
more impressive, 4-door size. This commercial used humor and some subtlety to
create an effective ad. The one that stuck out for the wrong reasons was made
by the insurance company Nationwide, and was meant to bring attention to the
high number of accidental deaths of youths in America. Clearly this is a noble
cause and something that people should be aware of, in my opinion though, it
seems that due to the culture of recent Superbowl ads being light-hearted and
funny, the ad was poorly timed and delivered, as well as being a bit ambiguous
about what the were really trying to advertise which happened to be a website
with tips on how to reduce the risk of accidental deaths. (The links to both
commercials are attached)
Whether
you watch the game for the athletic contest or for the advertising
entertainment, it’s safe to say that neither are going anywhere for a while. It
will be interesting to see how trends in advertisement style and spending continue
in the coming years.
Nationwide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKUy-tfrIHY
Works cited:
Breech, J. (2015, February 2). Super Bowl 49 watched by 114.4M,
sets U.S. TV viewership record. Retrieved February 4, 2015, from
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25019076/super-bowl-49-watched-by-1144m-sets-us-tv-viewership-record
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