Can you think
of one program on television where viewers will walk away from the screen
during the show but will sit down and watch the commercials? I can: the Super
Bowl. If your favorite team didn’t make it to the big show, the commercials are
undoubtedly the most anticipated part of this American staple. However, this
year that may have all changed. Multiple companies have been releasing teaser
ads, and even full advertisements, on television and on the Internet. The
YouTube Ad Blitz channel already has about 20 different videos posted to it,
fan-favorite Budweiser has had two ads spread like wildfire throughout the
social media circuit, and we already have our first big Super Bowl controversy
(Scarlett Johansson’s SodaStream ad anyone?). And that’s all before the
National Anthem has even been sung! Teaser ads have been a growing trend in
advertising for a while now, but never before have advertisements been
pre-viewed first on the Internet. Are these tactics really benefiting the media
industry by causing more hype leading up to the big day? Or are they taking
away the part that people look forward too most?
These days advertising is so cut
throat that the quicker you can get a jump on your competitors the better. An
article in The New York Times stated that “commercials uploaded to YouTube
before the game generated about 3.4 times more views on average [than those
that did not]” (Elliot 1). With so many ways to avoid commercials these days
advertisers are pulling out all the stops just to get their commercial watched.
This year the spots for Super Bowl XLVIII are costing companies four million
dollars for 30 seconds. Say you were in charge of PepsiCo’s advertising for the
Super Bowl, if there was a surefire way for you to get consumers to pay
attention to your four million dollar commercial, wouldn’t you take it? It’s
understandable, not to mention obvious, the impact that this new trend will
have on the marketing world. For them it’s all about maximizing every penny
they spent on the advertisement and this new trend of “pre-ads” seems to be the
best way to milk that four million for all its worth.
Super
Bowl ads are known for being the most creative and entertaining advertisements
in television, and the best ones typically go viral overnight. But rather than hitting a million views after the fact, some of these ads have gone viral before they’ve
officially aired. Pre Super Bowl ads are turning what was once a topic for
small chat that lasted a week, into an event that spans weeks before and after
the big game. All of the numbers and stats do nothing but suggest that this trend will help the media industry rather than hurt it. In an article recently published in Advertising Age it was said that “social media buzz is an accurate predictor of future viewership” and the web has certainly been buzzing (Adobe 1). It seems like every day for the past two weeks (at least) there has been a new “must see” commercial on my Facebook newsfeed. While analysts think this is a positive development for all
parties involved, I think that there is a risk of overexposure. For instance, I
am already sick of the Bud Light “Whatever Comes Next” campaign. This could
have been hilarious if properly done and controlled, but instead it was
released into the wild of the Internet and has since been over-shared and
underwhelming. In years past it was a sure thing that people would tune into
the Super Bowl just to see “whatever comes next”. I mean seeing Arnold Schwarzenegger,
ping-pong paddle in hand, looking remarkably like Bruce Jenner would have been
enough to keep me glued to the TV until the big reveal of what came next. But
the punch line of that joke has been prematurely delivered and at least now
I’ll know when it’s a safe time to step away from the TV.
Teaser
ads, like the M&M’s commercial below, are brilliant and innovative. They
wet the consumer’s appetite just enough to spark curiosity while still keeping
the brand in the forefront of their mind. The recent surge in pre-ads however, put us on overload and take away some of the surprise and fun that Super Bowl Sunday
holds. I predict that more viewers will be stepping away from their TVs during
the commercial breaks tonight due to a been-there-done-that mentality, except
it’s more of a seen-that-over-it mentality. In the future, I think that more
companies will opt to drive up the conversation through teaser ads, as a way to
gain exposure but maintain an element of curiosity. Airing the commercials in weeks leading up to the Super Bowl is like telling the punch line before you even start to tell the joke. What is the point? Rather than creating a sense of excitement, it creates a lack of interest for watching the game in real time. It is hard to fight the time shifted and instant-gratification population that we have become, but in order to keep apathy at bay we can’t be given
everything we want, when we want it. We are not spoiled children, and the advertising and media industries should stop feeding into our demands before they create a monster that they have no control of.
Just in case this hasn't been plastered all over you Facebook newsfeed, here is the full "Whatever Comes Next" ad:
Works Cited
Adobe Digital
Index. "Advertising Age." Advertising Age Adobe RSS. Adobe
Digital
Index, 31
Jan. 2014. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.
Elliot, Stuart.
"Super Bowl Ads Get Their Own Pregame Show (And It's An Early One).
"
The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2014.
At least a week before the Super Bowl, the "Up For Whatever" ad was being previewed on TV. This tease told the viewers how many actors there were and how many famous people were in it. It also had a small clip of the woman asking Ian, "Are you up for whatever happens next?" The commercial even had an air date which was, of course, the Super Bowl. In my opinion, this particular commercial drove the hype as did the always popular M&M commercial along with the clydesdale/puppy commercial. However, I was talking to several people who were severely disappointed by this years advertisements. In my opinion, this years Super Bowl ads were creating more apathy than driving hype.
ReplyDeleteI am not going to lie, I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials just like many other Americans. I wasn’t as impressed with the commercials this year because, I had already seen all of the really interesting ones online ahead of time. Some still were creative and not unveiled yet, like the Doritos time machine. The Super Bowl commercials are the only time when everyone is so glued to their screens to the point where they don’t want to even go to the bathroom during the commercial breaks. I will admit, some of the commercial ideas are genius. Budweiser has been melting our hearts for two years in a row now, first with the pony, brotherhood centered “Landslide”(Adage.com) commercial, and now the puppy and “Let Her Go.” Budweiser has it exactly right, they tug on your heart just enough to provide an unforgettable commercial. There was also so much hype circling the Budweiser puppy commercial because it was basically all you saw on your Facebook newsfeed for the week leading up to it. Releasing the ads early does kill the hype, if a commercial comes on that you’ve already seen on the Internet you will lose interest quickly, if not walk away.
ReplyDeleteThe overall, main point is to get the most views of your commercial. So releasing it early, I guess is a wise decision from a marketing standpoint, the more exposure the better. Teaser ads are an brilliant idea, after watching the M&M teaser commercial it made me want to know more. They are a fantastic idea, but if you’re like me and weren’t totally glued to the TV the entire game, you would miss the full commercial and never discover the answer. This tactic is a great idea, but it would have to be for someone who was intently interested in the Super Bowl every second. The Budweiser commercial was being talked about in almost every class I went to and how you had to see it, everyone wants to be in the know so word of mouth yields more views for the commercial. Many could wonder how a company can spend 4 million dollars on a 30 second slot. Considering the 111.3 million people(Adgate) tuned in for the 2012 Super Bowl, it is starting to make more sense to me. The main goal is to demonstrate the companies creativity, produce product exposure and a memorable commercial. My big question is, by the end of the game who actually remembers what product was being advertised since you are bombarded with so many?
"Super Bowl Ad Chart: Who's Buying What in Super Bowl 2014." AdAge.com 3 Feb. 2014. Web.
"Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl Expected to Break TV Viewship Record." Forbes. 3 Feb. 2014. Web.
I have to agree that the ability to find clips of Super Bowl ads on the Internet before game day left the overall experience of watching the game feel relatively lack-luster. Not a football fan myself, my highlights of Super Bowl Sunday each year have always revolved around hanging out with friends, eating lots of food, watching the halftime show, and of course, the ads. I was surprised to find myself relatively bored with large number of the commercials, and even more surprised to find that many of the ads I had seen before! The whole experience seemed a bit dull to me, which is surprising considering that the game this years was expected to break the “audience delivery record 111.3 million viewers who tuned into…” the Super Bowl of 2012 (Adgate). With such high expectations, coupled with the Seahawk’s win that everyone saw coming even before the halftime show, the whole experience was a bit (need I say it again?) ….lackluster.
ReplyDeleteWhile quite a few of the advertisements I personally found entertaining (Axe, Chevy). I was left feeling quite bored and often confused by what felt like a dizzying array of endless “searching for the meaning of life” car commercials. Come on guys, during the Super bowl? Really? Save it for any other weeknight. In particular, I was very surprised to see Maserati airing a commercial having never seen one on TV before.
(Watch the ad at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmpiwU50f5w )
After my confusion brought on by this advertisement subsided, my initial thoughts were that of surprise. I would have never thought that Maserati would air an ad during the Super Bowl considering that as far as I was aware, their cheapest car ran for around $99,000 (I would soon stand corrected). Do the people at Maserati not know who their viewers are? According to Nielsen’s “Advertising and Audiences- State of the Media” report in April of last year, viewers of primetime television who have an average annual income of over $100K per year is down from 2010. Additionally, viewership of those with a four-year college degree is down, while viewership of individuals with no high school diploma is up since 2010.
It would not be 2014 if an ad on television did not prompt an immediate Google search on my part. With a little research, I found that Maserati began selling the “Ghibli” in September 2013 for a more affordable $65,600 (Stock). While not cheap in the car market, the Ghibli is more affordable than it’s other Maserati cousins. But is it cheap enough for more people to buy it? According to the National Archives and Records Administration, the “estimated median income for four-person families living in the United States… is $75,845” (Federal Register). While not a shabby income by any means, a four-person family would spend approximately 90% of their total annual income on such a car. Realistic? I think not.
On a side note, with Super Bowl ads this year running a costly 4 million dollars per 30 seconds, that puts Maserati’s one minute and thirty second commercial at 12 million dollars. ….Well, I supposed they can afford it.
-Emily Hauser
Works Cited:
Adgate, Brad. "Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl Expected to Break TV Viewship Record." Forbes. 28 Jan. 2014. Web.
"Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, April 2013." Nielsen.com April 2013. Web.
Children and Families Administration, and The National Archives and Records Administration. "State Median Income Estimates for a Four-Person Household: Notice of the Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2014 State Median Income Estimates for Use Under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)." Federal Register (n.d.): n. pag. 8 May 2013. Web. .
Stock, Kyle. "In Its Super Bowl Ad, Maserati Steers for the Masses." Bloomberg Businessweek. N.p., 3 Feb. 2013. Web. .
This year I was required by several of my classes to watch the Super Bowl. Usually I just watch for the commercials because in past years they have been entertaining and funny. This year I was able to watch several Super Bowl commercials online, which spoiled the surprise and anticipation of Super Bowl commercials. During the Super Bowl I didn't feel the need to pay close attention to the commercials because I had read about most of the commercials or watched them online. I believe the M&M teaser is a great way to leave the audience wanting more and to still leave people anticipating the commercial. Honestly, I believed the commercials during the Super Bowl this year weren't very funny and were more serious. For instance, one of my favorite commercials was the Coca Cola "America is Beautiful" commercial which was very touching. The Cheerios "Gracie" commercial touched on several controversial issues such as interracial couples, and had a bigger message about love. Personally, I really enjoyed the commercials with greater meanings, but there are many people watching the Super Bowl who really enjoy the funny commercials. There were a few memorable commercials and the rest were very forgettable. I believe many commercials were forgettable because audiences were already aware of what to expect.
ReplyDeleteLast year and this year I went to a friends house to watch the Super Bowl, and last year everyone was quiet during the commercials, but this year we were talking because we either already saw the commercial or knew the premise. Obviously, advertisers are trying to generate more media attention and gain more money, but I don't think this tactic is working very well. For the advertisers who didn't release any information about their ads, I was surprised and interested while they were playing. I think advertisers shouldn't release their commercials before the Super Bowl, and instead should release a teaser or build up the anticipation by not releasing any information.
- Emily Barry
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think you bring up some really interesting points about the idea of teaser ads. This year more than ever, it seemed as though you saw something about Super Bowl ads before the actual event! It appeared a little crazy that a lot of companies are spending gobs of money to get their ads seen on primetime TV, yet they either released the teaser or the actual ad on their respective YouTube channels. As Nielsen reported, 132.8 million people spend most of their time, per month, on YouTube. And there is a reason for that: it’s free, easy to use, and convenient. It almost makes sense for these companies to just skip the TV advertisement and go right to YouTube and their channel—exactly where they know the majority of their fan base is! However, you brought up a really good point: the commercials are an “American staple.” I think that’s such an interesting idea: it doesn’t really matter if they tease or prematurely leak the video, it’s a staple that will get people talking about a product, regardless of whether they see it the day before the Super Bowl or during it’s commercial break. The commercials are such an important aspect of the Super Bowl, that as I write this comment, news agencies are still reporting about them.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, however, I really think it’s about knowing your audience. H&M this year featured a shoppable commercial that sold David Beckham’s line of men’s underwear. Something about that feels a little off compared to a Toyota car commercial or a GoDaddy ad this campaign was poised next to. Are guys really going to stop what they’re doing to get their Samsung smart phone out in order to buy underwear from H&M during the commercials of the Super Bowl? I don’t think so. Maybe their girlfriends of boyfriends will buy it for them? Again, it’s doubtful. Maybe if it was an ad that was strictly online, targeted to those visiting H&M online, but something seems off with a shoppable ad like the one H&M used. People are not underwear shopping during the Super Bowl!
Car commercials are generally more universal and not as immediate as the H&M ad was in trying to sell you something. I feel like people react better when they have time to “let in linger.” What I mean by this is that personally, it takes me much longer than 5 minutes to make a decision. Commercials that allude to something or make you feel something have a greater impact than those that want you to buy something instantly, like the H&M commercial. Customers generally know when an advertisement takes advantage of them, because they generally feel like they need to make a fast decision. Car commercials, however, just give you the idea or the feeling. They say “you can have this, but take your time and watch some other commercials before you buy me.” Like the M&M commercial you mentioned, they wet the appetite of the consumer and (literally, because it’s food) make you crave the product or an idea associated with the product. In the case of M&M, the point was to get you to desire and want to eat their candy. The point of the car commercials is certainly to get you to dream. And for H&M, I guess the point was to get you to buy underwear…?
-George Fracasse
“Super Bowl Ad Chart: Who's Buying What in Super Bowl 2014." AdAge.com 24 Jan. 2014. Web.
"Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, April 2013." Nielsen.com April 2013. Web.
Speaking for those viewers like myself who consider the best part of the Super Bowl to be the commercials, I think that releasing ads online pre-game is a great way to maximize views. This technique undoubtedly benefits the companies when the actual game turns out to be less than exciting as it did this year. For audiences who tune into the game primarily for the entertainment of commercials and the half time show a less than exciting game might mean losing those viewers. Because advertisers can’t control the level of interest generated by the game, a good way to ensure their $4 million commercial is seen (and maybe seen more times and by more people) is to release it early online. It really is demanding a lot from your audience to stay intently tuned into a game that was as uninteresting as this year’s Super Bowl, so online views can safeguard against the views that may have been lost live. What matters most to an advertiser is that their message/product reaches the target audience, how exactly it gets there is nearly irrelevant. Whether online pre-game or live during the game what matters most to the advertiser is that the ad is seen. I do have to admit that the live commercials were rather disappointing this year and I enjoyed the online experience of viewing the most popular commercials online before the game. To me, it was like cutting out the middleman. I got all of the benefits of seeing the commercials without the torture of having to watch a game as uneventful as this year’s. I think that more advertisers will lean toward releasing teasers in the future because it is a way to capitalize on the feeling of an exclusive pre-game release but still require viewers to watch for the big reveal on game day.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an interesting topic and one that really reflects the media age we are experiencing today. I agree with you that pre-releasing a Super Bowl commercial takes away the excitement that used to come along with watching the big game. To me, teasers are a better way of building excitement and are usually an effective way to draw in an audience. The pre release that caught my attention the most was the Budweiser puppy commercial. At first, I was irritated that they put the commercial on YouTube early and I thought that I could wait until Sunday to watch it. My roommate felt the same way and had the will power to watch it the old fashioned way, during the game with everyone else. However, after seeing it being talked about across various social media outlets I caved and watched it early. This ended up working out in my favor since the game was so boring that I stopped watching and missed the commercials’ television debut. My initial reaction to this ad method was if releasing Super Bowl ads early was so successful, why bother spending the four million dollars to air it during the game at all? Then I looked up the ratings for this year’s game. Despite the glaring one-sided score, this Super Bowl was the fifth highest ranked Super Bowl ever in terms of ratings, (Verderame). I would guess this had a lot to do with the anticipated matchup between the league’s best defense against the league’s best offense. Apparently, the irregular final score had no effect on viewership. That being said, companies still largely benefitted from buying the costly ad space during the game. Although it is certainly not what people are used to, and it may seem like an anticlimactic move, releasing Super Bowl ads before game day is most likely growing to be a growing trend in the future.
ReplyDelete-Kelsey Scriven
Verderame, Matt. "2014 Super Bowl TV Ratings: Seahawks vs. Broncos Is 5th Highest Ever - SBNation.com." SBNation.com. N.p., 03 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Forbes said that this year's SuperBowl was to break TV viewership records, however, I would have thought the opposite. While some people do watch it for the game, many people watch only for the commercials. But because most commercials were already leaked, I would think viewership would decrease because they've already seen most of the ads worth seeing.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be honest and say I didn't even watch the SuperBowl. I was driving back to school and didn't get back until after half time. I don’t like football, but like any media junkie, I usually enjoy watching the commercials, but because of all the teasers and leaks, I saw no point in rushing back to sit through it. Perez Hilton even had a page where all of the "leaked" commercials were posted in one place.
Anything that wasn't already leaked, I probably could have find online within minutes of it airing. Not being a football fan, I actually preferred it this way. While I thought some of the commercials were weak or just not entertaining, there were a few that I enjoyed. For example, Budweiser proved once again they can make even the manliest of men cry with their tribute to the military and according to Time.com, “the most successful commercial of the SuperBowl” with “Puppy Love” (Luckerson). For that, they'll probably land themselves a spot on Creativity Online's "Best of Film" list, just like last year's Clydesdale commercial. Dannon Oikos Greek Yogurt commercial made us nostalgic for the 90s and the Full House days. And Coca-Cola’s ‘America the Beautiful’ ad, whether you loved it or hated it, sparked some interesting controversy and conversation immediately.
Somehow I missed the M&M teaser ad before the SuperBowl, but I agree that this concept is genius. It makes you actually want to watch for the commercials, or in my case, search for it on YouTube the next day.
In the long run, I actually think these leaked and teased commercials were a smart thing for companies to do. Did the commercial lose its appeal just because you saw it on Facebook or YouTube instead of during the SuperBowl? No. Like I said earlier, it may have hurt ratings of the actual SuperBowl broadcast, but if you think about how many people saw the these commercials on Facebook in the week leading up to the SuperBowl, versus the amount who only saw it during the SuperBowl, there is a huge jump in viewers and it probably didn’t hurt the advertisers one bit. The commercial didn’t lose its message just because you were seeing it before the SuperBowl. People are seeing the commercial, so who cares where and when they see it?
Works Cited:
- Adgate, Brad. "Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl XLVIII Expected To Break TV Viewership Record." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
- Hilton, Perez. "Super Bowl Commercials! Watch All of Them Here before the Big
Game!" Perez Hilton. 02 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
- Luckerson, Victor. "This Was the Most Successful Commercial of the Super Bowl." Time.com. 03 Feb. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
- Unknown Author. "Best of 2013: Film." Creativity Online., 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
Two weeks ago, my friend posted a YouTube video on my Facebook wall. The advertisement starred Arnold Schwarzenegger with long hair in an extremely tight warm-up suite. My first reaction to the video was to laugh (obviously), however I did not truly understand what Bud Light had accomplished. They were able to create a twenty-second teaser ad that captured the attention of hundreds of thousands of people within weeks of the big game. This advertisement spread like wildfire throughout numerous social media outlets including Twitter and Facebook. However, Bud Light was not the only company to use this tactic. Other companies, including Oikos, Audi USA, Ram and countless others, were also able to capture the attention of the social media sites through teaser ads.
ReplyDeleteThis year’s teaser advertising campaigns by these companies have definitely been successful in creating more hype for the day. The companies streamed their previews through YouTube Ad Blitz, which allows fans to watch, vote and share their favorite Super Bowl commercials. With YouTubes help, these commercials received nearly 3.4 times more views than commercials that were watched after they were aired the day of (Elliot 1). Also, according to Unruly, “seven of the 20 ads from the 2013 Super Bowl that were shared in social media were accompanied by teasers” (Elliot 1). The statistics truly speak for themselves.
Also, according to The Star-Ledger, many advertising experts would have to agree with this year’s trend. Jim O’Donnell, the Hulu president of advertising sales, explained that it would be foolish for companies not to take advantage of the teaser commercials (Hyman). Hulu launched it’s own version of YouTube’s Ad Blitz four years ago that is called AdZone. Only a few companies used this technique before the big game, however it did not gain as much attention. But today, with the new powers of social media, companies realized how they could use the platforms.
Tim Calkins, a marketing professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, who oversees the yearly Kellog Super Bowl Advertising Review, where students rank the Super Bowl ads in terms of overall business impact, agrees with O’Donnell (Hyman). He explains the difficulties in which advertisers have in standing out amongst the competition. In such a fierce and competitive environment, he believes the twenty-second teasers allowed companies to accomplish this by “breaking through the clutter” (Hyman).
Also, he thought it was an extremely smart decision for many to use celebrities to endorse the spots. Oikos Greek yogurt reunited the cast of the popular television show, “Full House”, within their advertisement. I thought that this was a brilliant tactic in endorsing their brand. By choosing a celebrity, they could specifically target a certain demographic and know they will share it with others, which is exactly what happened with my friend and I. However, with the success of the seven advertisements that used this tactic, I can see everyone jumping on this bandwagon next year. The only problem with this is that the social media platforms will become cluttered with too many ads. It will be extremely tough for someone to stand out of the crowd (once again).
Works Cited
Elliot, Stuart. "Super Bowl Ads Get Their Own Pregame Show (And It's An Early One).
" The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Feb. 2014
Hyman, Vicki. "Super Bowl 2014 Ads: Get a Sneak Peek on Youtube, Hulu." NJ.com. The Star- Ledger, n.d. Web. 03 Feb. 2014. .
This has been a topic that I have been puzzling over since the first "pre-ads" and teasers began appearing all over the internet. Because I am not an avid football fan, I always look forward to the advertisements and half-time show during the Super Bowl. Any other day of the year advertisements are just an annoyance that most people try to get around and avoid as much as possible, but on the Super Bowl they are something everyone looks forward to. When "pre-ads" first started being posted on my social media accounts, and becoming the buzz of conversation amongst friends many questions came to my mind. Will this kill the suspense and anticipation of the ever so looked forward to advertisements? Will these teasers create even more anticipation? Will more people step away from their TV's during the commercials on Super Bowl sunday just like any other day of the year, a day that people normally are glued to the same channel for hours on end? At first, I believed "pre-ads" would be the downfall of the anticipated Super Bowl advertisements, but after actually watching them on TV yesterday I found myself yelling to my friends "wait, guys watch this commercial I already saw it, it's awesome!" These pre advertisements actually built the excitement for me. I watched the commercial days before on the internet, still payed close attention during the game, and again watched it after on Youtube with my friends. Although I think teasers are a better idea than "pre-ads" because they give you a preview without showing you the entire commercial, I think they are both successful forms of advertising. Like Bri mentioned in her blog entry, the New York Times stated in a recent article that commercials which have a "pre-ad or teaser on the internet before game day generate about 3.4 million more views (Eliot 1).
ReplyDeleteAlthough I enjoyed the buzz about "pre-ads" and teasers during this SuperBowl, I did not think the commercials themselves were as funny and memorable as usual. Usually, there is one ad after another that me and my friends are laughing at and bringing up for days after the game, but this year only a few commercials stick out in my head, Honda, Budweiser, Chobani, Go Daddy, and Dannon. I think to keep up with the increasing popularity of fans watching pre advertisements, the ads need to be good enough to back them up. The advertisements need to be so entertaining that people want to watch them over and over.
Works Cited:
Elliot, Stuart. "Super Bowl Ads Get Their Own Pregame Show (And It's An Early One).
" The New York Times. The New York Times, 17 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Feb. 2014.
I always loved how every year, the Monday morning after the Super Bowl all of the buzz seems to be about the ads, and occasionally the half time show more so than the actual football game. That is because for the most part the ads are far more entertaining than the game itself; this is true even for die-hard NFL fans. As Bri mentioned this year it was different, the buzz about the big time advertisements was still there, but this time it was happening the week leading up to the Super Bowl and on social media. The first ad I saw, like many others was a Budweiser ad. One of my Facebook “friends” had posted it she urged her entire Facebook community to stop whatever they were doing to watch the cutest commercial ever. Yes, it was the adorable puppy ad. Being a dog-lover, and having a weakness for Golden Retriever pups I immediately clicked on it and watched. Well, she was right my heart did melt instantly but I also was mad at myself for doing so. To me, releasing the ads before the actual Super Bowl in a way defeats the purpose of Super Bowl ads, and actually may defeat the purpose of spending $4 million dollars.
ReplyDeleteBudweiser is famously known for having great Super Bowl ads, and as much as I loved the puppy ad, I feel that it wasn’t the best ad during the big game. For me, it didn’t really feel like a “Super Bowl ad”. Due to the fact that it was released beforehand it made me feel like it was just another ad. Also, I felt that it would have been even more memorable had I watched it alongside my friends, and millions of other people it would have made a bigger impact. Instead, I watched it on my 13 inch laptop screen, via YouTube, in my room, by myself on Tuesday afternoon. Part of what makes Super Bowl ads what they are is enjoying it amongst others and also going on Twitter to see what the rest of the world thinks of it. To me, it seemed to be the most uneventful Super Bowl yet. The final score speaks for itself on how exciting the actual game was, the halftime show seemed like a downgrade compared to Queen Bey last year, and millions had already viewed half the ads that aired. Forbes had estimated that Super Bowl XLVIII would break viewership records, but if anything as the night went on, viewership went down.
“Major advertisers are trying to win the conversation before the game… as well as during and after” (Elliot 1). Companies like Budweiser, Butterfinger, and Squarespace were aiming to be innovative this year; by releasing the ads early but in the end it seemed to hurt them. Instead getting a burst of social media attention within the span of about 5 minutes after the commercial aired, the social media attention was spread out over days.
I feel that airing the commercial ahead of time ruined my viewing experience. The biggest problem was I felt that when I was watching the big game half of my friends had already seen the commercials on YouTube, and half of us hadn’t. The people who had already seen the commercial just kept talking while the rest of us missed out on it. This would not have happened in the past. It was not this way for all ads though, the ad that I loved the most and thought was pure genius with advertising and social media was Esurance. Esurance by far had the most tweets, granted because there was $1.5 million involved. Besides the fact that they were offering up money to anyone who tweeted at them I thought that it was not only a great commercial but proved you don’t have to “cheat the system” and release ads early in order for them to blow up on social media.
Each year, I look forward to the advertisements and halftime show during the Superbowl. Commercials are usually something that we all steer clear of, but changing the channel during the biggest night in television would be seen as deviant. The advertisements are nothing short of being creative, bizarre, enticing, and expensive. According to Brad Adgate from Forbes, “The marketers that paid an estimated $4 million per 30 second ad for the big game should be rewarded with a record viewing audience.” Although he factors in previous ratings, the matchup, and the weather, could the online release of teasers and full advertisements contribute to success of the program as a whole?
ReplyDeleteBy releasing many ads early, people could have mixed feelings when the ads are aired during the game. Some people could feel the need to walk away or change the channel because they have been overexposed to a commercial even before it is televised. Social media is great for sharing the latest videos and trends, but it can sometimes be abused. If people constantly shared pre-released ads leading up to the Superbowl, they might not be as hyped about them on game day.
I personally think that the pre-released advertisements were beneficial for the companies. In “Advertising & Audiences,” they talk about making an effective advertisement. The article says, “Getting consumers to remember your ads require some of the same qualities that make for success in TV’s best shows. Wit, humor, and creativity mark out the best-remembered new branded integrations of 2012.” Social media is one of the driving forces that help make things easy to access and be talked about. Having access to Superbowl ad links are able to make a lasting impression on its viewers. Since the ads during the Superbowl are extremely unique, it is beneficial to be able to view and share them over and over. The company is getting maximum exposure for their product and keeps people buzzing for a longer period of time.
I think the Bud Light teasers were the most successful. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a tight workout suit ready to play ping-pong and Don Cheadle with a llama definitely raised some eyebrows. These teasers were dominating my news feeds for a month, and the whole Bud Light commercial concept came together on Sunday night. In the article “Releasing Ads Early Pays Off For Super Bowl Advertisers, According to Visible Measures” by Anthony Ha, he discusses a new goal of advertisers leading up to the Super Bowl. He says, “Basically, it seems that advertisers now treat the game as just part of a monthlong campaign, one where online views are increasingly important. As Tim Calkins, a professor of marketing at Northwestern University, told the New Yorker: ‘It is not about winning the Super Bowl but winning an entire month.’” This is definitely a theory I agree with, and it was very prevalent during the weeks leading up to this year’s Super Bowl. Companies competed with each other to spark the most interest among consumers, thus releasing ads and teasers early to attract the most publicity.
-Nicole Sandoli
Works Cited:
Adgate, Brad. "Advertisers Rejoice! Super Bowl Expected to Break TV Viewship Record." Forbes. 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2014
"Advertising & Audiences: State of the Media, April 2013." Nielsen.com. April 2013.
Web. 03 Feb. 2014
Ha, Anthony. "Releasing Ads Early Pays Off For Super Bowl Advertisers, According
To Visible Measures." TechCrunch. Web. 03 Feb. 2014.
There is no bigger stage, metaphorically speaking, for advertisements then the super bowl. Companies spend 4 million dollars for a single 30 second ad slot, and center entire PR campaigns around them. The harsh reality of the situation, however, is that when all is said and done out of the 88 ads that aired (Huffington Post), people only remember a handful the next day. It's even less likely people remember an ad from previous years. The most successful advertisements are the ones that stand out, in one way or another. Take the Hardee's Kate Upton ad for instance. The ad aired last Super Bowl but if I asked the class about it, I doubt there'd be more then a handful of people who wouldn't remember it. Obviously the ad garnered some criticism and not entirely undeservedly, but that's besides the point. The ad was memorable, for one reason on another. This year, I think two ads in particular achieved the same result; the M&M ad as well as the Bud Light ad. They did it using two different tactics, however. I liked both ads, but for different reasons. The M&M ad utilized the newer tactic of using a teaser ad prior to the super bowl, which piqued consumers interest, then delivered the actual ad during the game. Bud Light utilized some teasers as well, showing viewers a peak of Arnold and his ping pong room of death as well as a calm, cool, and collected Don Cheadel with a llama, but the style of their ad was much more of a story. It's my personal opinion that the story-style format, with each ad chronicling a part of the man's journey throughout the night, was more effective. Each segment almost could have been an ad by itself, and when combined it created a very memorable ad.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bri when it comes to the aspect of online releases of ads prior to the game ruins the fun of them, but when the name of the game is exposure, brand recognition, and selling products, the numbers don't lie. The cold hard fact of ads uploaded to Youtube generating 3.4 times as many views is the only thing companies need to hear. The trend, however much it may not appeal to viewers like Bri or myself, is likely to continue and may even become the norm, especially with Budweiser's warm and fuzzy animal commercials getting 34 million views before the opening kickoff (NY Times).
-Ben Jerome-Lee
Works Cited:
"Super Bowl Commercials"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/02/super-bowl-commercials-2014-watch_n_4713785.html
Stuart, Elliot. "After Risque Years, Super Bowl Commercials Go Warm and Fuzzy"
February 2, 2014
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/03/business/media/after-risque-years-super-bowl-commercials-go-warm-and-fuzzy.html?hp&_r=0