If you had to sell 100 million people a product in less than a minute, what would you say? Saying too little is what makes Super Bowl ads more obsolete every year. It isn’t that the commercials were better back then, and increased viewership has nothing to do with it. There are just too many better ways for advertisers to spend $3 million now.
They’re advertising ads now?
A clear sign that advertisers are losing faith in the Super Bowl is the pre-released ad. To generate buzz this year, Volkswagen, Careerbuilder, GM and others released their commercials weeks before the game. Then they tried to drum up further interest with ‘making of’ videos and other media appearances. When advertisers are trying this hard to sell you on their commercial, you wonder why they don’t just sell you their product, story or brand another time.
It’s a tough crowd.
Despite murmurings that social media would radically alter this year’s Super Bowl commercials, very little changed. Most ads tried to get a laugh from the lowest common denominator, employing animals or children or plenty of CGI work. It’s understandable, because it’s hard to get a big crowd to listen but it’s easy to accidentally turn one against you. So the best hope with so large an audience is to entertain without offending. As a result most ads aren’t memorable to anyone.
Super Bowl viewers don’t want to interact.
Although brands did try to get users involved, it was little use. Many tried to get viewers to find them on facebook, watch alternate endings or tweet about them, yet most refused. And those brands were the lucky ones.
Groupon fared worse, catching a backlash because few bothered to go to the site and discover the message’s altruistic payoff. Which isn’t to say those in the Super Bowl demographic don’t want to be engaged digitally, they just can’t be bothered to do so during the game. As a traditional event with a largely passive audience, shoe-horning Super Bowl ads into the interactive age won’t be so easy.
Are we talking to ourselves again?
15,000 out of a total 100 million viewers did participate in Mullen and Radian6’s #BrandBowl twitter conversation. But nearly all the hashtag tweeters seemed to be Advertising or PR pros. Among the top ten picked by USA Today’s popularity system, only four matched the votes of the Brand Bowl crowd. The twitter favorite, Chrysler’s tribute to Detroit, didn’t even crack USA Today’s top 40. This should give anyone pause when considering the accuracy of online sentiment measurements or accuracy in measuring the Super Bowl altogether.
The excessively high price tag
Where once it was good enough for a spot to just entertain, a $3 million price tag seems unjustifiable given today’s plethora of media options and economic situation. Last year, Pepsi backed out of the Super Bowl for the first time in over a decade and used the money to support individuals with worthwhile causes. A much better investment than all of this year’s chuckle-worthy spots combined.
Small is the future.
When it comes to Super Bowl ads, many viewers might remember a funny baby or dancing animal, but few recall the brand that made it. Agencies are now shifting their success models from breadth to depth of reach. With specialty and niche channels everywhere, there’s no need to try and talk to everybody at once. Talk to your target(s) separately, and you’ll be able to design around insights that are common only to their demographic. You also get more chances to get your message right. More importantly, you’ll have time on your side and a $3 million budget to spare.
Richard is a Copywriter in the CM Toronto office.
