Motorola, VW, and Chrysler scored with critics and viewers in the Super Bowl advertising game. Yet, in the weeks following the game, they’ve missed (and are still missing) opportunities to convert viewers into customers through their online channels. These three brands all replay their ads on their sites, but that is not enough. Advertisers in the Super Bowl — and other big events like the Oscars — must create online experiences that get viewers more deeply involved with their products and the brand. That’s what pays off the huge advertising investments.
VW’s endearing “Darth Vader” spot speaks to affluent parents who are the primary market for the Passat. When those viewers visit VW.com, however, the most easily found content for the new Passat a snarky but flat-footed video, “VW Academy with Bill Hader.” The video’s sarcasm seems off-key compared to “Darth Vader” and more akin to a Bud Light commercial. Plus, the video is slow to communicate a handful of the model’s key features. It risks diffusing the goodwill earned by “Darth Vader.”
Worse, there is little information on the new Passat anywhere on VW.com. If you click on Passat, under the Models menu on the home page, you get information on the current model. The lack of details on the new Passat is a huge missed opportunity for VW to keep potential customers engaged and feed their curiosity about the new model.
Motorola does a better job following up on its “Empower the People” spot for the Xoom tablet. After viewers find their way to the Motorola Mobility consumer site, the Xoom is featured on the home page. The Xoom product page leads with a replay of the TV ad, but it’s easy to skip the ad and get to an overview of the Xoom.
After the daring TV ad however, the product page is a let down. The Xoom ad, like it’s 1984 inspiration, promises change, but visitors get a typical, staid list of specs and features. The Xoom page could have related tech specs and features to human needs and situations.
At least some of the features that sound interesting, like Android Honeycomb or the “Floating” multi-finger interface, could be illustrated in more exciting ways. There’s little opportunity for further engagement beyond opting in for updates.
Eminem wants you to believe in Detroit
Chrysler likewise follows the inspiring “Imported from Detroit” spot with a lackluster web experience. When a viewer visited Chrysler.com the day of or day after the Super Bowl, model information for the new 200 was adequate and easy to find. Yet Chrysler had potentially built the most powerful platform, an unfolding story about Detroit’s revival and steadfast city pride. How could Chrysler have moved that story forward? How could they have prompted people to act, to show their support for Detroit? They could have gone further with a program such as Levi’s like-minded project in Braddock, PA. Or at least more passionately called on people to see the 200 in person and give Detroit a chance. This week Chrysler added an Imported from Detroit microsite, which still lacks exciting ways for viewers to get involved. You can buy a t-shirt, put names to some of the faces of ordinary people in the spot, or read a “What’s Up in Detroit” feed that doesn’t link to anything of the events or places it promotes. There is still no way for visitors to be a part of this story. Avenues for deeper involvement should have been part of this campaign from the beginning.
Other brands did better at integrating their online experience with their Super Bowl ads. Best Buy, for example, is prominently promoting its Buy Back program on its home page and offering the program for free for a limited time. The site also features a “Buybaculator” that makes the benefit of the program less confusing and more concrete.
Are there other brands that made strong online plays to compliment their Super Bowl ads? What could Chrysler have done to extend their “Imported from Detroit” anthem? Let us know what you think.
Andy LaFond is Senior Planner in our Chicago office.
