default image for post
Super Bowl ad strategies shift from TV to digital
January 29, 2015  |  by Magneto Brand Advertising

Gone are the days of watching the Super Bowl just for the commercials. While the Super Bowl has always been advertising’s biggest day of the year, agencies and their clients are getting more creative with their multimillion dollar ad buys.

The Super Bowl isn’t all about TV commercials anymore, with digital campaigns now in the mix of game day ads. While TV spots have the star power, digital campaigns can be edited in real time and work towards specific business goals. These new options allow brands to be flexible with their Super Bowl ad strategies.

The TV Spot

Commercials have always been an integral part of the Super Bowl. These ads reach millions of people and in most cases, are more focused on more entertainment than brand integrity. The payoff for a Super Bowl commercial is the hype before the game and the number of people talking about it the next morning.

A few years ago, brands started releasing ads online during the week before the game. This lowered the hype around watching ads during the game, but allowed people to share the spot on social media, and gave the commercials a longer shelf life.

This year, GoDaddy released their Super Bowl ad early, riffing off of Budweiser’s spots featuring puppies. GoDaddy pulled the spot offline a day later, after animal activist groups likened the concept to puppy mills. GoDaddy representatives apologized and promised a new spot for the Super Bowl. While we don’t envy that deadline, this allows GoDaddy another chance at creating an ad that will work in their favor, salvaging a $4.5 million ad buy.

Digital Campaigns

Super Bowl ad campaigns are now entering the digital world. Some brands choose to integrate digital ads with a TV spot, while others like Papa John’s are relying solely on digital ads on Super Bowl Sunday. This gives advertisers the ability to react to real-time events (like Oreo’s now-famous Twitter post during the 2013 blackout) and set clear business goals as a direct result of their campaigns.

Papa John’s is aiming for 1 million orders nationwide during the game. This strategy has been bolstered with social media contests over the past few months, an on-site event at University of Phoenix Stadium during the game and digital ads that allow mobile users to quickly and conveniently order a pizza. Based on the performance of the digital and social media campaigns during the game, the Papa John’s team can easily edit, retarget and tweak their efforts as needed.

Their set goal and the flexibility digital advertising provides is nearly impossible to track and implement with a TV commercial. While not as entertaining or hyped up as a TV spot, digital advertising offers real-time results and huge potential for brand development and awareness across the country.

The Winner?

Of the Super Bowl advertisers, who has the soundest strategy? It’s hard to say just yet, but we like the opportunities digital ads offer. What do you think? Have an early favorite commercial? Will the Seahawks win it all? Let us know on Twitter!

Share:


Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedintumblr