Posted on Monday, 8th February 2010 by Frank
I know many of you watched the Super Bowl this past Sunday and it was definitely a great game to say the least. However, most people know that the advertisements are one of the big interests when it comes to the Super Bowl. Companies paying millions of dollars for a 30 second time slot. This was the first year I have heard many people on Twitter referring to this form of advertising as the Brand Bowl. I couldn’t agree more. This was also the first time I have seen social media referenced in the Super Bowl. I thought this commercial in particular was great for bringing attention to the variety of social media platforms to raise awareness for companies. Although, with the many companies using “social media” to drive their campaigns; some passed with flying colors while others failed.
I’m not going to name every commercial because that would just be boring to read. Although, I want to break down a few of them in terms of their effectiveness in using social media. The first one that sticks out is Google. Their commercial was simple and to the point. Granted, everyone feels they had that advertising spot because of the pressure Bing has been putting on them. I don’t believe Google needs to be worried about Bing, who didn’t even advertise during this years Super Bowl. However, I think Google showed the simplicity of using their search engine. The use of a screencast is a phenomenal way to show users they can search about anything like “social media.”
Two other companies I think did a great job with their campaigns are GoDaddy and E-Trade. Now you may be wondering, how do these advertisements relate to social media? Well, first off, all of these companies are online. They want to capture their viewers watching on TV, convert them to sales, but be able to do this in a social capacity where they are interacting with their customers. Many people feel GoDaddy can be a little too “sexy” with the way their ads are done, but the thing is, it does the job. It grabs attention and at the end of their ads, they tell you how to access their website. That’s how you engage and be social with your audience. You need a call to action after you help them. E-Trade does the same except with humor. People love babies and the fact that they “talk” keeps the customers interested and at the end they have a call to action to go to their website.
The two companies I felt did poorly with their Super Bowl ads were Flo TV and The Dating Service commericial. Both were laughable and in a social media standpoint they were viewed as a joke, especially Flo TV. I mean, come on! They could have thought of a better name. Credibility went out the window with a brand name like that and in social media, credibility is everything. The Dating commercial I don’t have much to say about it because it offered no value and they pretty much poked fun at themselves. You want to be taken seriously and by not giving viewers a brief overview of what your service looks like, gives us no reason to access you on the web.
These were the companies I felt either played their social media strengths well or utilized them poorly. Your thoughts are going to be your own and I’d be interested to hear which advertisement during this years Super Bowl was done best. Do you agree with any of mine? I’d like to hear even if you disagree because that can give me a different outlook on the issue at hand. Is social media even given a thought when companies prepare their ads for the Super Bowl. You would think all they money they spend, they would think to do so with the way advertising is changing.
Further reading:
When Are Social Networks Least Helpful For Business?
The One Social Networking Tool Essential For Your Business
10 Reasons Businesses Should Participate On Social Networks
What Can Hiring A Social Media Virtual Assistant Do For Your Business
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Tags: advertising, brand bowl, business, campaigns, companies, customers, social media, super bowl
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