Over the past two years, I’ve asked some tough questions like:
- Are Super Bowl ads worth the money, or is YouTube an alternative?
- Is the Super Bowl ad the equivalent of setting money on fire?
- Which brand (not advertising) won Super Bowl 2019?
Now, I keep asking these questions because I believe that SEO experts, content marketers, social media marketers, and digital advertisers can learn some important lessons from brands spending up to $6.5 million in a 30-second spot during The Big Game. .
And with Super Bowl 2022 just days away, even the official YouTube blog just posted “Throw in the Super Bowl with YouTube AdBlitz. “
Author Sadie Toma, US Creative Director, noted:
“According to a Kantar survey, when excluding those who are not interested in sports or do not plan to watch major matches, 72% rewatched at least some football commercials before or after the match.”
Heck, those fans can watch the first teasers and commercials on the AdBlitz channel.
For example, check out official big game announcements like “A Clydesdale’s Journey | Budweiser Super Bowl 2022.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPBxJ2yar-A
Or watch action-packed ads like “The Call | The Official Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3NhX6-5mO0
Or check out comical ads like “Question 1: Do you like saving money? | Shop with Honey.”
Rather than tell you what I think about the Super Bowl ads again this year, I decided to ask Matt Foda (CEO of OptiMine, consumer privacy advocate and nationally recognized expert on marketing strategy) If he wants to answer some tough questions, like, “Why do some brands pull out of the Super Bowl while others go everything?” or “How effective are Super Bowl ads?”
Why did he die?
Well, he advises some of the biggest companies in the world including Twitter, Bed Bath & Beyond, Overstock, Best Buy, Verizon, and more.
He can provide real-world insights from the conversations he has with his clients on exactly this topic.
Plus, as the CEO of a software company that provides attribution across cloud-based channels for digital and traditional marketing, he knows how different brands can make dramatically different decisions — or have very different answers to that question…
Should we announce at the Super Bowl?
These are my questions and his answers.
Greg GarboeMarketers assume that each brand may evaluate the costs and benefits of a Super Bowl ad differently for several reasons — one of which is that their goals and objectives for a Super Bowl ad may be different. What does a brand have to ask themselves in this regard to determine if a Super Bowl ad is worth it? it or not?”
Matt FodaIt all starts with the overall brand strategy, and then making sure your marketing goals align with that strategy.
Most importantly, even given the significant expense of investing in a Super Bowl ad, it must be examined within the broader marketing plan.
Put more simply, a Super Bowl ad shouldn’t be the “plan” alone.
After that, questions will follow naturally depending on the overall business strategy.
If a company has a significant market share opportunity but lacks brand awareness to grow share, a natural marketing question should be, “Where can we direct our strongest target market awareness most efficiently and effectively?”
Through this lens, a Super Bowl investment may or may not be the best option depending on a range of alternatives. But the question is at least related to business strategy.
How Analytics Drives Super Bowl Ad Success
Greg Garboe“Not every Super Bowl brand ad will have sophisticated marketing analytics to fully measure the performance of those ads. Why do the brands with the best analytics make better, more informed decisions over time when it comes to making a decision like the Super Bowl ad?”
Matt FodaInvesting in the Super Bowl is a very expensive show.
Viewed from a long-term perspective, brands that understand the true impacts of their marketing investments will continually make smarter decisions on many different marketing channels over the long term.
As a result, they will be more cost effective with their investment and will grow their business and profitability more predictably as compared to competitors who suffer from business intelligence deficiencies.
The Super Bowl, while a big decision, is just a subset of the full suite of marketing and business-building decisions a brand makes, and the quality of those decisions — based on better analytics — leads to better results.
The smartest, most informed brands compete more effectively and position themselves to win.”
Adopt a flexible approach to analytics
Greg Garboe: “Measuring the economic effects of Super Bowl advertising is much different, more difficult, and requires a new generation of rapid marketing analytics. What do these include and why are they important?”
Matt FodaTraditionally, brands have focused solely on measuring the reach of their advertising efforts.
For example, if a brand seeks to reach its target audience 4-6 times over a period of time, and it determines that this reach has been achieved, the brands may consider this a “success”.
But you can quickly see that this completely ignores the business effects of investing. Modern brands will also seek to understand the economic implications — hard dollar metrics — of these decisions.
But even this is not enough.
Moving to a fully modern and agile approach to analytics requires speed, flexibility and the ability to run faster ‘sprints’ to get to the right answers as quickly as possible.
This rapid transformation requires the right tools, techniques and investments in analytical methods designed for the modern era.
Traditional analytical approaches are too slow, too fragile, and provide answers too late to be effective.”
Why do brands cancel Super Bowl ads?
Greg Garboe: “It is likely that many of the brands that decided to withdraw from this year’s Super Bowl have figured out how to achieve the same goal using other means, channels and methods. What could this look like?”
Matt FodaMany of them may have discovered that there are alternative ways to achieve the same goals; methods that don’t require the investment premium that the Super Bowl represents.
Also, savvy brands have come up with ways to capitalize on the big game event with their campaigns without having to advertise directly during the big game itself.
For some brands, this means using digital channels like social media or video to get the same effect. It allows them to target audiences more precisely while reducing wasted impressions delivered to audiences outside of their targets.
The Super Bowl is a very large hunting rifle. Unless you’re selling a product that has very broad consumer appeal, it can be really ineffective for brands with a narrow consumer group.”
Parting thoughts
Greg Garboe: “Why did brands that have been running ads for years decide to pull out this time? And why do brands decide to come back?”
Matt FodaIt is possible that their analyzes have given them a new perspective on this decision.
Or, in some cases, the brand’s business strategy may have changed causing them to evaluate that decision from a different perspective.”
Greg Garboe: “Matt, let me ask you a question that’s been asked in the past: Is a Super Bowl ad the equivalent of setting money on fire?”
Matt Foda: “If a brand is putting most of its budget into Super Bowl advertising, and it’s not part of a more comprehensive marketing plan aligned with the business strategy, the Magic 8-ball answer is: All signs point to yes.”
Greg GarboeFinally, let me ask you this: Are the Super Bowl ads worth the money, or is YouTube an alternative?
Matt Foda: “This is a matter of aim or objective and also relates to the company’s product or service.
For more niche products that appeal to a narrower audience, digital video represents a compelling alternative.”
More resources:
- The Complete Beginner’s Guide to YouTube Video Advertising
- Why Now Is the Time to Advertise with Video (If You Haven’t Already)
- Social Media Marketing: A Complete Strategy Guide
Featured image: Procreative/Shutterstock
