SUPERBOWL ADVERTISING
A Case Study in Buzz Marketing
WHAT IS BUZZ MARKETING?
• A viral marketing technique
• Attempts to make each encounter with the consumer
unique.
• Spontaneous personal exchange of information instead of
a calculated marketing pitch choreographed by a
professional advertiser.
• Creates anxiousness and excitement about the product in a
positive manner which can lead to trials and generate
purchases of the product.
• Usually involves word of mouth marketing strategy.
• Research proves that this form of marketing is 10 times
more efficient in initiating action than other
communications.
SUPERBOWL
• Annual championship game of the National Football
League (NFL).
• Created as a part of a merger between NFL and AFL.
• Considered by some a de facto American national holiday“Super Bowl Sunday”
•
It is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption,
after Thanksgiving Day.
• Frequently been the most watched American television
broadcast of the year; the four most-watched broadcasts in
U.S. television history are Super Bowls.
•
In 2011, Super Bowl XLV became the most-watched
American television program in history with an average
audience of 111 million viewers.
SUPERBOWL GAME
SUPERBOWL HALFTIME SHOW
HISTORY OF SUPERBOWL ADVERTISING
• First Superbowl ad- Master Lock in 1973.
• Immense popularity of the ad influenced the company to
produce ads for the games throughout 70s and 80s.
• 1977- Xerox aired a super bowl ad entitled “Monks”.
• THE TURNAROUND- Coca Cola created “Hey Kid, Catch !”
featuring Pittsburgh Steelers “Mean Joe” Greene.
• SUPERBOWL XVIII- Apple Computers Macintosh ad
“1984”.
• Presence of giants like Coca Cola & Apple induced other
brands to reap the benefits of Superbowl Advertising.
• Since 1997, brands have been fighting to get space in
Superbowl commercials.
TRANSITION PHASE IN SUPERBOWL
ADVERTISING
1967- 22 million viewers
2012- 111 million viewers
ERAS OF SUPERBOWL
ADVERTISING
ERA I (1967-1978)
ERA II (1979-1988)
ERA III (1989-2008)
ERA IV (2009- Present)
ERA I (1967-1978) – ADS THAT SOLD
PRODUCTS
ERA II (1979-1988)- ADS THAT ENTERTAINED
ERA II (1979-1988)- ADS THAT ENTERTAINED
ERA III (1989-2008)- ADS THAT BECAME
SOCIAL
ERA IV (2009- PRESENT)- ADS THAT BECAME
“THE PRODUCT”
ERA IV (2009- PRESENT)- ADS THAT BECAME
“THE PRODUCT”
SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALSA MARKETER’S DREAM
• Most watched television program in history.
• Incredible media attention and synergy.
• Many viewers watch Superbowl only due to the commercials
• The ads themselves often receive additional airplay from television morning
shows and newscasts after the game, and can also become viral videos.
• Increased competition among top brands to showcase their ads during
Superbowl.
• High recall value
AVERAGE COST OF A 30-SECOND
ADVERTISEMENT AT SUPERBOWL 2013
$4 MILLION
EFFECT OF SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS ON
VIEWERS
SOME NOTABLE SUPERBOWL
COMMERCIALS OF ALL TIME
APPLE MACINTOSH – “1984”
VOLKSWAGEN- THE FORCE
COCA COLA- “HEY KID CATCH”
BUDWEISER- RESPECT(2002)
RAM TRUCKS- FARMER
SOME FAILED COMMERCIALS
APPLE- “LEMMINGS”
BURGER KING- “SPOT HERB”
BUDWEISER-“BUD LIGHT”
SOME SUPERBOWL FACTS &
FIGURES
RISING COSTS OF SUPERBOWL ADS
MOST COMMERCIALS BY BRANDS
Rank
Product
No. of Commercials
1
Budweiser
23
2
Pepsi
15
3
Bud Light
13
4
Universal Pictures
11
5
Doritos
10
6
Paramount Pictures
7
7
Pizza Hut
5
8
Audi
4
9
Coca Cola
4
10
FedEx
4
WAYS TO FOSTER SALES USING
SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS
• Top dollar for high exposure
• Funny always gets attention – Example:
GoDaddy.com
• Animals are a universal language- Example:
Budweiser
• Situations should be relatable- Example:
Coca Cola
• Emotional responses are key.- Example –
Ram Trucks