Marketing is Changing.
February 5th, 2012 marks the day the stage will be set for the one of the most viewed events of the year; Super Bowl 46. A week long hype of the game will lead to the much anticipated Sunday night event that is typically accompanied by more beer and food than the average person would be suggested to consume in a week.
But let’s be honest, most of the 100,000,000 + viewers of the Super Bowl are tuned in for one reason and one reason only, the advertising. Over the past few years, Super Bowl advertising has moved to the forefront of the viewers. Last year, I even witnessed people who only focused their attention on the 70″ television during game breaks and halftime to catch the advertisers’ attempts to entertain its crowd by using humorous, witty, and sometimes jaw dropping advertisements like this one from Reebok in 2003.
The next day, instead of discussions based around the game, we are flooded with inquiries on “who had the best commercial”. For most companies, the $3.5 million dollar price tag for a 30 second slot is unrealistic. However, what’s not unrealistic are the marketing takeaways you can gain from the Super Bowl’s now famous advertising. Here are six of them.
Takeaway #1
Television Advertising is Not What it Used to be
First, lets be frank. There’s one day a year where television advertising is the hot topic of discussion. For the rest of the year, we are typically all exposed to viral e-mail, YouTube videos, and other content shared throughout social media networks. Sit back for a moment and think of the last time someone came up to you and said “…you have to see this commercial on TV” and then you sat anxiously awaiting its air time? It hasn’t happened. Odds are, you went to YouTube and watched it there.
Takeaway #2
Unique Content Creation is Paramount
If there was ever proof needed that unique content is key to marketing success, this is it. We don’t watch the Super Bowl commercials to truly compare products, or make buying decisions. Nor, do the advertisers expect us to. We want to be entertained in a way that we haven’t been recently. The corporate giants who fill up air slots on Super Bowl Sunday spend months preparing the most unique commercial that will be talked about the next day. Its about creating something worth talking about, its about creating something that will engage a viewer to comeback, its about creating something that will expand the perspective of a brand by positioning it as a unique asset in the eyes of the viewer.
Takeaway #3
Traditional Advertising is Top Heavy
You know what advertisers you’ve seen in the past and its no different now. Bud Light, Pepsi, Doritos, GoDaddy, 15 major car manufacturers, etc, etc, etc. Money wins in traditional advertising and there isn’t much room to play ball. Plain and simple, if I dished out the money to put an ad up on Super Bowl Sunday, it won’t be remembered. The traditional advertising space is so saturated with corporate giant spending that it almost becomes impossible to become an entrant in the space.
Takeaway #4
Social Media is No Longer an Option, Its a Necessity
Spend some time on Super Bowl Sunday watching the end of the advertisements. One thing will be certain, almost every major advertiser will promote some kind of social media in their $3.5 million, 30 second slot of airtime. Another prediction of mine for this year’s ads; more valuable time will be dedicated to ensuring the brands’ social media presence is seen. Social media is no longer an option, its a necessity for all businesses.
Takeaway #5
Your Market is Hungry for Fresh Content
What does all of this add up to? One simple fact, Super Bowl Sunday is living proof that the world craves unique and quality content. There is no denying that your target market is included in the 100,000,000 plus viewers that makeup the gigantic audience that tunes in every year. And likely, your target market will be the ones discussing what they saw the night before in between the 60 minutes of football. It’s true, people adore the content they crave and obviously there’s so little of it that an entire night can be dedicated to exposing it.
Takeaway #6
Treat all Your Content as a Super Bowl Commercial
Always think outside the box and offer your audience what they crave, unique content. Dedicate yourself to creating things so unique that people will have no other option but to share it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the other social networks that engage our world today. If you maintain a consistent marketing strategy of uniqueness and tailor your philosophy around it, you’ll be able to reach the masses in a very powerful way. There’s no room to compete with traditional advertisers. Your audience is desperately seeking something to share or talk about. If you can give it to them, they’ll be forever grateful.
Enjoy the game and give some of your own insights to what we will see in this year’s Super Bowl commercials. I’d love to hear the predictions.
About Jared Fabac