For years, the Super Bowl has become the essence of TV advertising – the one day of the year that we celebrate commercials. Conversations around the ads drive as much interest as the game itself. Increasingly some of the most exciting content is happening in social spaces where interest swells, buzz surges and opinions proliferate. There’s even an opportunity for buzz around network rejected ads. This week, GoDaddy invited consumers to view their banned ad on their site, while the attention and reach for the rejected ad for the gay dating site Mancrunch.com may garner even more attention than if it had aired (without the hefty three million dollar price tag).
Although some large brands such as Pepsi have opted to skip Super Bowl ads in favor on online campaigns this year–a move which has probably earned Pepsi as much or more attention than if they had participated–others have opted to best take advantage of the surge in online consumer interest in their ads. Social media users can share, forward, discuss, critique, rate and review the ads at live chats, twitter games, You Tube’s Ad Blitz, USA Today’s Ad Meter, and many other sites.
By offering brands the opportunity to deepen engagement, stimulate brand conversations and to maximize earned reach, social media marketing has already begun to change the game of Super Bowl advertising. Capitalizing on pre-game buzz, Kia is giving Facebook users a taste of their first ever big game commercial, starring a fun cast of characters.
Meanwhile, to promote their upcoming ads, Audi’s Green Police shows ways to protect the environment with a YouTube series and Twitter account. Coca-Cola is donating $1 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, for every bottle of Coke that is virtually gifted on Facebook, and, as an incentive, users are given sneak peaks of the spots. Intuit is showing that there is even an opportunity to take advantage of the Super Bowl buzz without an in-game ad. With AOL, Yahoo, and MSN home page takeovers, the rich media creative TurboTron, resembling a big scoreboard and filled with football content, will unquestionably engage fans.
Social media proved valuable to big game advertisers last year (the E-Trade baby is still tweeting away). Visible Measures reports that pre and post game buzz can account for over 50% of a campaign’s reach. Showing that brands with a smart plan in place for a pre and post game strategy this weekend are certain to improve their Super Bowl ROI.
