A Quick Phrase Well Placed Turns The Coin

Michael Hedges February 7, 2013 Follow on Twitter

The importance of major events must not be forgotten. It’s true in all media. Advertising people know this. Creating an event – pegged to a brand – is the stuff the ad people dream of. “Find a parade and claim it,” Walt Disney once said. The social media people know this.

Scoring the Super Bowl ads has long been, for a certain set, far more important than whatever happens on the field, half-time entertainment notwithstanding. Advertisers spent about US$ 3.8 million (roughly €2.8 million) for 30 second spot placement during the CBS network broadcast, double that for prime positions at half-time. Creative and production costs are easily equal. Just short of 110 million Americans watched, down slightly from previous years, with a few extras in the rest of the world.

The regular Super Bowl advertisers were primed and ready. Automakers from Mercedes Benz and Jeep to Kia, Toyota, VW, Hyundai and Dodge pushed their brands with vignettes of families, teens and outer space.  TV mega-star Oprah Winfrey thanked American soldiers for their service in the Jeep ad, one of several with vague political leanings.

Sentimentality always works on TV and the Dodge Trucks 2-minute spot saluting the American farmer tugged hard on the heart-strings.  Another 2-minute ad, Samsung’s “Pitch” with actors arguing about Super Bowl ad ideas, was the second most watched, according to Kantar, proving that ad people and ad fans stick around for the spots. The most watched spot was a CBS promo for the series “Person of Interest.”

Attracting attention, with slight controversy, were ads from web hosting company Go Daddy and Volkswagen. The ad for Go Daddy featured Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli in extended smooches with actor-playing-a-nerd Jesse Heiman. Culture critics called it sexist. The VW ad, broadcast in the pre-game segment, depicted a white office worker singing a Bob Marley verse in Jamaican patois. Culture critics called it racist.

Getting the most “bang for the buck” from the Super Bowl was social network Twitter. “All of this year's Super Bowl commercials tallied a combined 3.9 million social-media comments across Twitter and public Facebook,” said social TV analytics firm Bluefin Labs spokesperson Tom Thai, quoted in AdAge (February 4).  “That's a 225% increase from last year.” Twitter acquired Bluefin Labs, reported Business Insider (February 5), for an undisclosed sum.

Effecting little or nothing – conspiracy theories notwithstanding – was a 30-minute power outage at the New Orleans venue. Affecting everything that ad people will talk about for the rest of the year was the Twitter-pounce by cookie brand Oreo. “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark,” said the social media ad launched within minutes of the blackout on the Oreo Twitter account. How’d they do that? Simple; they had 15 person social media team from digital agency 360i waiting for an opportunity.

“Is this going to sell more Oreos at the end of the day?” asked Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger, quoted by Wired (February 4). “Hard to tell. It definitely makes the brand seem like a more clever, more interesting, sharp brand. So in terms of brand equity this is as effective, if not more effective, than just showing another Super Bowl ad.”

The Wall Street Journal (February 4) reported the Oreo cookie coup under the headline “How Oreo Culture-jacked The Super Bowl.”

The real Super Bowl of television advertising comes in May with the Cannes international ad fest. Second screen advertising was a hot topic last year. This year it will be “culture jacking.”

See also in ftm Knowledge...

The Happy Advertising People

The advertising people are spending again. But things are different now and media people are feeling it. New media attracts attention and advertisers want to be where the action is. This ftm Knowledge file looks at the paradox of media and advertising. 120 pages PDF (September 2011)

Order here

Social Media Matures (...maybe...)

Hundreds of millions use social media. It has spawned revolutions, excited investors and confounded traditional media. With all that attention a business model remains unclear or it's simply so different many can't see it. What is clear is that there's no turning back. 42 pages, PDF (June 2011)

Order here

Become an ftm Individual or Corporate Member and receive Knowledge files at no charge. JOIN HERE!

ftm Knowledge files are available to non-Members at €49 each. The charge to Individual Site Members is €15 each.

Media in Spain - Diverse and Challenged – new

Media in Spain is steeped in tradition. yet challenged by diversity. Publishers hold great influence, broadcasters competing. New media has been slow to rise and business models for all are under stress. Rich in language and culture, Spain's media is reaching into the future and finding more than expected. 123 pages, PDF. January 2018

Order here

The Campaign Is On - Elections and Media

Elections campaigns are big media events. Candidates and issues are presented, analyzed and criticized in broadcast and print. Media is now more of a participant in elections than ever. This ftm Knowledge file reports on news coverage, advertising, endorsements and their effect on democracy at work. 84 pages. PDF (September 2017)

Order here

Fake News, Hate Speech and Propaganda

The institutional threat of fake news, hate speech and propaganda is testing the mettle of those who toil in news media. Those three related evils are not new, by any means, but taken together have put the truth and those reporting it on the back foot. Words matter. This ftm Knowledge file explores that light. 48 pages, PDF (March 2017)

Order here

More ftm Knowledge files here

Become an ftm Individual or Corporate Member to order Knowledge Files at no charge. JOIN HERE!