The Super Bowl is coming. Will your ad be seen?
Sunday, February 7th, one television station will capture the attention of over 100 million viewers. Some will be watching to legitimately cheer on their teams (Broncos or Panthers). Some will be tuning in for social convention – and because it is a reason to have a get together and drink. Then there will be the loyal ad audience – the crowd that floods the television not for the Hail Mary pass or the game-tying touch down, but for the hilarity that ensues between the live action. I, personally, belong to the last group (I’m an advertising major, so go figure).
The Super Bowl ads are notorious for being highly coveted and some of the most expensive television ad slots to buy. For Super Bowl 50, 30 second ad spots are selling for as much as $5 million! It seems like a lot for a measly 30 seconds amongst dozens of other competitors. With the internet and social media, though, companies are now receiving far more than just a 30 second spot between the Budweiser Clydesdale and the Honda Civic.
Anyone who is on social media has probably seen by now that Super Bowl 50 ads have already begun to trend. That’s because Super Bowl has upped their ad value by attracting online users who may not have the patience to watch hours of interrupting football and a half time show between their ads. In a world of immediate gratification, the internet has become the go-to norm for news, gossip, and answers to burning questions such as how many Grammys Kanye West has won or what ever happened to Frankie Muniz. Not only can you visit the Super Bowl Commercials 2016 website to see almost all the national advertisers and ads (some are still holding out in hopes you’ll tune in), many companies have released their sure-to-be-trending ads on their social media feeds. Ads from Heinz Ketchup and Budweiser (drunk driving PSA) have already topped the Facebook trending list, and Doritos made waves once again as voting ensued for their annual “Crash the Super Bowl” campaign. To top it all off, USA Today has prepped their Ad Meter for this year’s Super Bowl and is ready to open the feedback floodgates as the ads roll out, helping those who don’t watch the Super Bowl determine what ads are actually worth seeing.
Not only does the internet and social media help those who are willing to pay the small fee to be featured, it also can help those who want to take advantage of the over spending of their competitors on a tight budget. Verizon launched its own Twitter campaign over the 50 excitement called “Minute 50,” rewarding Verizon customers every 50 minutes. Last year, though, Volvo shook through the social media world during the Super Bowl by detracting from its competitors ads. Rather than pay over $4 million to fight for a hopefully memorable spot among major brands such as Ford, Chevy, and BMW, it asked that every time a consumer saw the competitors ads that they tweet. Rather than watch and learn and be excited by the competition, people were asked to tweet #VolvoContest to enter to win someone they care about a brand new car. Ingenious AND cost saving, right?
There are so many ways companies can get in on the Super Bowl action by using social media rather than paying a pretty penny for an ad. You can follow in Volvo’s footsteps and give away a big prize for ignoring your competitors, launch a funny sports-related video on your feed, create an engagement contest about the teams, and so much more! Through social media, you don’t have to have $5 million to get in on the Super Bowl 50 game. If you want ideas on how your small business can take advantage of major events, just ask us! We’ll help you #TurnTheLightbulbOn for your business!
Nicole Firebaugh | @nicole_fir
About Nicole Firebaugh
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