So Super Bowl 2016 has been and gone again!! Looking back on the epic events of Sunday night, what will people remember the most?
That the Denver Broncos are the 2016 winners? For the 114 million people that tuned into to watch, perhaps…but the topic that has surpassed the Final NFL game of the season for both football and non-football fans alike has been the advertisements shown during the game.
Every year some of the biggest US and global brands showcase on this platform to engage with one of the highest rated television shows in the world. This year has certainly represented some of the biggest brands in the world; Pepsi, Doritos, Pokémon and Budweiser to name but a few.
These are no strangers to the Super Bowl ad break line up, and as an advertiser this is what interests us most about this annual event (and maybe a little bit is about the sport). What keeps these renowned brands coming back again and again?
TV or Digital?
With the emergence of digital in the media mix for advertisers, a trend for some has been been to migrate to digital advertising, and whilst this offers brands a unique chance to engage with their consumers on a one to one conversational level, it doesn’t always work as a sole entity.
Pepsi has provided a perfect example of this, a regular advertiser on the Super Bowl, in 2010 decided instead use this advertising budget in digital media. The result was not what the brand had hoped with a 5% loss of their market share, Pepsi re-instated their Television budget the following year.
What keeps these advertisers coming back to the Super Bowl is that it works! It achieves millions of engaged viewers who tune in just as much for the commercials. Not only does it expose these brands to millions of people, the advertising messages transcend their 30” television spot.
Cross Platform
Doritos is viewed as the early winner out of all advertisers this year, not by a subjective view but by their 893,465 shares of their commercial. A perfect example of how television and digital can work together as opposed to an either or ultimatum.
The ads are discussed, shared, and analysed well after the fact by millions more, what more could a brand want.
