A New Era of Super Bowl Marketing

Putting together a winning marketing strategy for the Super Bowl may be more competitive than the game itself — or at least that’s what most marketers would argue.

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Claiming an ad spot during the Super Bowl used to be the pinnacle of marketing prestige. But in an era of ever-decreasing Super Bowl television viewership and omnipresent digital disruptions, the most successful campaigns are breaking ground off the TV screen as well. Most viewers don’t give one medium their undivided attention and instead have one eye on the TV, the other on their smartphones. 

Innovative companies are now starting game day campaigns in the fall, driving conversations around controversial yet important topics, and foregoing a $5 million ad spot to harness the power of social media and second-screen experiences. Here are three of our favorite strategies for elevating your Super Bowl marketing strategies.

Leverage Second-Screen Experiences To Go Viral With Less Money

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend millions of dollars on an a mere 30-second ad spot to achieve success. 

Companies are leveraging social media marketing, mobile experiences, and other forms of viral media to advertise on Super Bowl Sunday. Not to mention, this strategy gives companies a unique opportunity to reach tech-savvy millennials and Gen Zers who are less likely to watch the championship game.

For years, Sweedish automaker Volvo has forgone an expensive television spot to harness the power of social engagement instead. While its competitors, including Toyota, Lexus, Nissan, Kia, and Fiat, each spent $4.5M on a coveted ad spot during the 2015 Super Bowl, Volvo spent a mere 1/15 of that budget. Their idea was as simple as it was genius.

When fans saw any other car commercial, Volvo encouraged them to tweet why they deserved to win a Volvo XC60 using the hashtag #VolvoContest. The result of targeting rival commercials was remarkable — it sparked 30-second windows of hyperactivity on Twitter, which led the hashtag to trend three times.

Although Volvo ultimately spent money giving away 4 cars, it didn’t spend nearly as much as other companies did on Super Bowl TV spots. Not to mention, it grew its XC60 sales by 70% the following month, and it was the only automobile to trend globally that year.

Embrace Unique Public Relations Efforts

In recent years, the focus of Super Bowl marketing has shifted from the game itself toward the conversation surrounding the game. For many people, that conversation is centered heavily around eating — and drinking. 

Tostitos leveraged this angle to launch an omni-channel PR campaign leading up to the big game. Instead of splurging on a TV spot, the chip maker partnered with Mothers Against Drunk Driving and Uber to create the Party Safe Tostitos bag that doubled as a breathalyser test. When any trace of alcohol was detected, the LED lights on the bag turned red, triggering a “Don’t drink and drive” message along with $10 in Uber credit.

“We thought it was an opportunity to begin a conversation with consumers about drinking and driving,” said Jennifer Saenz, chief marketing officer for Tostitos maker Frito-Lay.

This unique PR effort takes the form of experiential marketing and shows that the best marketing campaigns manifest themselves both digitally and in action. Although they didn’t air a commercial during the game itself, Tostitos’ presence was felt both during and after the Super Bowl.

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Stretch a Super Bowl Advertisement Into A Season-Long Campaign

Similar to how the holiday shopping season starts before Black Friday, advertising for the Super Bowl extends well beyond the main event. Brands have capitalized off month-long, season-long, and even year-long campaigns by taking a multichannel approach leading up to the Super Bowl.

Big brands like Pepsi and Pizza Hut have driven social media awareness with season-long campaigns, but perhaps the most impressive marketing strategy came from Yellow Tail. Beer might be the ultimate beverage of the Super Bowl, but this Australian wine brand made quite a name for itself last year.

For its third consecutive Super Bowl campaign in November 2019, the company invited consumers to share six-second videos of happy moments — from weddings to sunsets to promotions — tagging it with their branded hashtag. This campaign dubbed “Tastes like Happy,” awarded two lucky winners by incorporating segments of their videos into their TV spot that aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

The contest, which received more than 1,500 submissions to its social pages, shows just how effective a season-long campaign can be in building up excitement for Super Bowl Sunday. Its focus on UGC content rather than a celebrity-driven campaign also makes the brand more relatable and authentic to customers.

Final Thoughts

There’s no other time of the year brands can capture the attention of over 100 million people worldwide, so the pressure to develop an impressive campaign is at an all-time high. By developing creative marketing campaigns that extend their reach and impact further than a 30-second TV commercial, brands have been able to cut through the clutter of Super Bowl ads and spend less money in the process.