The Super Bowl has the reputation of being the favourite media event for marketers. It is the time for great advertising with the most successful brands and agencies competing for the attention of viewer and media buzz during the oh-so precious commercial slots. The Super Bowl halftime show itself and the commercial during the event often show the most innovative, planned-out, and inventive marketing of the season. That’s why marketers can learn a lot from the campaigns. In this blog we will examine the Super Bowl halftime show and four tips marketers can learn from this event.
What is the Super Bowl halftime show?
Halftime shows are a tradition to American sport events and aim to provide entertainment to the viewers during the breaks of the games. But the Super Bowl is the biggest event of the season with an halftime show that needs to match this importance. The halftime show does this by inviting A-list celebrities since the 90s, ranging from Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga.
The halftime show has become a cultural phenomenon by representing the pop culture of the year as well as being part of it. Both the Super Bowl as well as the halftime show have become a symbol of American life. Nowadays, the event is the most viewed TV stream in America and has gained popularity worldwide.
The Super Bowl is the biggest viewing event in the United States, whether you are a fan of football or not. It allows brands to get in front of millions of consumers in one sitting, generate brand awareness and maximise their impact across all generations.
This mentions that the Super Bowl is an excellent opportunity for promotion. While it’s unlikely to gain a spot among the big spenders, we can still learn many lessons from the show itself and the event around. In the following we can learn how to win the game of marketing and score a touch-down!
1. Let the influencer be on your team
The artist invited by the Super Bowl is part of the reason why the event has a tremendous popularity amongst people not interested in football. While a lot of Lady Gaga fans may not be into football, her performance was enough to gather 63 million views for the halftime show. It stands out how up-to-date brands are with influencers. Brands are really aiming for the names that are hot right now.
The lesson we can learn from this is to make sure your influencer research is up to date and find fresh and upcoming online creators.
2. Be creative with your game plan
Pepsi for a long time has been the big sponsor of the event to gain more brand awareness and traditionally showed a commercial during the ad break. However, last year Pepsi decided to go in a different direction. Instead of the short ad, they ran a national TV campaign a few weeks before the event promoting Pepsi’s sponsorship, as opposed to their product. The multi-channel campaign utilised national TV, a special website, behind-the-scenes videos and an AR experience on Instagram.
This approach inspires us to create our own marketing campaign with a twist. Think about ways to maximise resources to get the best profit. Think outside the box, evaluate the market, and throw the ball!
3. Don't be afraid of emotions
We assume that most of our decisions are rational ones, but the truth is that most of our decisions are ruled by emotions. During the Super Bowl it is already an emotional experience for customers to root for your favourite team. When you pair that with a touching story, you are sure to be remembered by customers. For example, Budweiser launched a sentimental ad for this year’s Super Bowl. Their image was suddenly paired with heartfelt scenes and music gaining really positive feedback on social media.
Budweiser connected with the viewers emotionally and it paid off. Try finding an emotional spot in your brand and highlighting it for customers.
4. Use the online customers insight to win
The online conversations around the Super Bowl gather more than 7 billion views in 30 days. Join the discussion prior and during the event to engage with your audience and boost brand awareness. Great marketing starts with consumer insights. Your ads as well as your social media engagement should align with your audience. Super Bowl ads have proven that brands who use these insights well are able to get the attention of their audience better through effective communication.
These lessons learned from the Super Bowl should be applicable to any organisation worldwide. This blogpost shows an insight into the importance of the Super Bowl, its halftime show, and commercials. It taught us that influencer marketing should be up-to-date and, thinking outside the box is rewarded, emotions are not just for the weak, and insights of your audience helps with effective communication.