504 PART 3 Designing a Customer-Driven Marketing Strategy impact and awareness that identifies which Super Bowl gathered consumer comments into Google Docs while advertisers are getting the most bang for their buck prior writers crafted responses and others pushed those responses to the game. According to General Sentiment, numerous back out through the social media outlets, complete with prepackaged content. advertisers saw a powerful return on their investment in terms of both increased social media mentions and real All the while, voting for the microsite for the ad revenue dollars generated before the game even aired. For CokeChase.com, experienced a massive spike in traffic example, Budweiser's "Lost Dog" ad released online before from 33 000 visitors to over 1.3 million in a matter of the big game had the highest impact media value of almost minutes, making it difficult for team members to access US$2.5 million, and it generated over 7 million views and their own site. Working through technical and other issues 300 000 social actions in a single day! It went on to to ensure that users could get through and vote paid off. become the top-rated commercial of Super Bowl XLIX As the polls closed, the showgirls were declared the win- and is approaching 30 million views on You Tube. ners. By then, the campaign's success was evident. During the period of the game following the airing of "Mirage," DURING THE GAME the Coca-cola brand experienced 8.2 million interactions In addition to pregame festivities, companies are recogniz and 910 000 votes, far exceeding its internal goals of 1.6 ing the potential to increase the effectiveness of their million interactions and 400 000 votes. "The interactions Super Bowl ads by engaging viewers during the game. were really critical, in terms of seeing how much people The trend of "second screen viewing"-using a laptop or really engaged with the content, so that's probably the mobile device while watching TV-is exploding. One thing I'm most pleasantly surprised with," said Pio Schun- Nielsen survey revealed that 88 percent of tablet owners ker, senior vice-president of integrated marketing at and 86 percent of smartphone owners had used their Coca-cola. "We struck out in a different direction, which mobile devices while watching television in a 30-day was a risk, but it paid off." period, numbers supported by social media activity during the 2013 Super Bowl. Across all social networks, game- THE AFTER PARTY related comments were three times higher than for the For Super Bowl advertisers, when the game is over, the 2012 event. But more important, nearly 30 percent of the advertising event is still in full swing. The traditional buzz 20.9 million Super Bowl-related tweets sent during the factor results from the numerous "best and worst" lists game were about the ads. As a bonus, advertisers picked generated by journalists and bloggers. And although "win- up thousands of new followers. ners" and "losers" vary from list to list, it is clear that all ads After the overwhelming success achieved from its ani- that air on the Super Bowl achieve postgame buzz from all mated "Polar Bowl" simulcast during the 2012 Super the online viewing and discussion. Bowl, Coca-cola was more than ready to do battle in 2013. Nearly 40 executives from Coca-Cola and its adver- Perhaps the greatest example of postgame buzz ever is tising, social media, and PR agencies gathered at an office Chrysler. The long-time number-three U.S. automaker building in downtown Manhattan to manage the brand's kicked off its "Imported from Detroit" campaign during second screen experience. "Mirage," an ad based on a des- the 2011 Super Bowl with a two-minute epic featuring ert race among showgirls, cowboys, a sheik, and some rapper Eminem and a resurgent Detroit as the backdrop. badlanders chasing a bottle of Coke, had been released For 2012, Chrysler produced the two-minute sequel, "Is online two weeks earlier. Consumers had been given the Half-Time in America," a patriotic tribute to the soul of opportunity to vote for a team, determining which fol- America starring Clint Eastwood. Both ads came out at low-up commercial would air right after the Super Bowl. the top of the heap in terms of p erms of pregame buzz and post- Coke's game-time activities included strategic retorts game ratings, discussion, and views. The ads also served as to Pepsi's digs at Coke. The team promoted photos being anchors for a series of ads as part of an ongoing campaign. posted by previously identified Coke "super fans" who Sixteen months after the launch of the campaign, Chrysler had been sent props from the filming of "Mirage." People won the Grand Effie-the top award granted at the adver- live-streamed the game, called out plays, and tracked com- tising industry's Oscars. According to ing to one jury member, mercials as they aired. But the real activity began when "Imported from Detroit was the Grand Effie winner "Mirage" aired. Coca-Cola listening teams for each of five because they sold the product, the category, and the city social media platforms-Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Ins- But as the 2013 Super Bowl debuted, Chrysler tagram, and You Tube-began executing routines they had revealed that it wasn't finished with its homage to rome practised during five trial runs prior to the game. They ribbed American values. Just prior to the second half of the game, the company aired "Whole Again," a two-minuteCHAPTER 13 . Communicating Customer Value: Advertising and Public Relations 505 ribute to the U.S. military and their loved ones narrated by Oprah Winfrey. In the form of a letter from the Jeep brand to the American people, Winfrey intoned, "Because when Hit," Adweek, February 10, 2015, www.adweek.comews/adver- tising-branding/story-behind-avocados-mexicos-surprise-super- you're home, we're more than a family, we're a nation ... bowl-hit-162864; Amy Gesenhues, "Top 10 2015 Super Bowl that is whole again." If that wasn't enough to stand out as a Commericials: Budweiser's "Lost Dog" in the Lead with 7 Million tonic to the light-hearted, silly, and even confusing ads by Views So Far," Marketing Land, January 29, 2015, http://marketing- land.com/top-10-2015-super-bowl-commercials-budweisers-lost- other brands, Chrysler's ad during the second half topped dog-lead-7-million-views-far-116341; General Sentiment, "2015 off its Super Bowl patriotic three-peat. "Farmer," another Super Bowl Ads Recap," www.generalsentiment.com/2015-super- two-minute epic, featured a voiceover of the tribute, "So bowl-ads-recap; Brian Steinberg, "Think the Super Bowl Is Over? Fox Starts Early Haggling for 2014," Advertising Age, February 5, God Made a Farmer," rendered by the late and legendary 2013, http://adage.com/print/239620; Michael Learmonth, "It's radio voice Paul Harvey. The spot served as a multimedia Official; Toyota Won the Super Bowl Pre-Game," Advertising Age, reminder of the role that perseverance and hard work played February 1, 2013, http://adage.com/print/239547; Rae Annfera, "4 Reasons Why Pre-Game Content Is a Winning Super Bowl in making the United States a great nation. With more than Strategy," Fast Company, accessed May 2013, www.fastcocreate. 23 million views between the two ads in the few months com/1682308; Gavin O'Malley, "Super Bowl Ads Gain 'Impact following the Super Bowl, Chrysler showed for the third Value' before Game," January 31, 2013, www.mediapost.com/appy- awards/article/ 192480; Natalie Zmuda, "Watching the Super Bowl year in a row that it knows how to make ads that deliver from Coca-cola's War Room(s)," Advertising Age, February 4, 2013, long after they've stopped airing. http://adage.com/print/239582; and Dale Buss, "Chrysler Scores The efforts and successes by the most recent Super Big-Twice-with Surprise Super Bowl Ads," Forbes, February 4, Bowl sponsors are far too numerous to mention here. And 2013, www.forbes.com/sites/ dalebuss/2013/02/04/chrysler- scores-big-twice-with-surprise-super-bowl-ads. whether every tactic employed by every advertiser worked perfectly is not the point. The point is that now, more QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION than ever, advertising during the Super Bowl isn't just 1. What factors have played the biggest role in chang- about gaining huge exposure by running a single ad or ing the dynamics of Super Bowl advertising in group of ads in a television event with a huge audience. recent years? Instead, viewers watch, buzz, share, click, stream, and Discuss the concepts of reach, frequency, and impact respond to Super Bowl ads before, during, and after the as they relate to Super Bowl advertising. How does game. To get the most out of their investments, marketers consideration and planning for these concepts differ must have a comprehensive program that takes advantage between the Super Bowl and other television events? of the broad Super Bowl season. 3. When assessing return on investment, what object Sources: Marketing Charts, "Super Bowl 2015 Data," www.market- tives must Super Bowl advertisers consider? ingcharts.com/television/super-bowl-2015-advertising-viewer- Choose a brand that has not recently run a Super attitudes-and-spending-trends-50857; "Super Bowl XLIX Posts the Bowl ad. Design an effective campaign with promo- Largest Audience in TV History," CNN Money, http://money.cnn. tional tactics for before, during, and after the game. com/2015/02/02/media/super-bowl-ratings; Andrew McMains, "The Story Behind Avocados from Mexico's Surprise Super BowlEND-OF-CHAPTER CASE THE SUPER BOWL: MORE THAN A SINGLE ADVERTISING EVENT - A SOCIAL-MEDIA FRENZY Every year around Super Bowl season, a debate heats up among advertising professionals and media pundits. At the core is the big question: Is Super Bowl advertising worth decided to challenge this strategy by seeding information he cost? In 2015, major advertisers spent over $330 mil- about their ads, releasing teaser ads, or even making the ad lion for Super Bowl advertising, with some paying a stag- available for viewing online before the game-essentially starting the water cooler conversations early. gering $4.5 million per 30-second spot. And that's just for the airtime. Throw in ad production costs-which average One of the most successful marketers to pioneer this strategy was Volkswagen, which had a stellar showing dur- US$2 to US$3 million per showcase commercial-and ing the 2011 Super Bowl with its ad "The Force"-a running even a single Super Bowl ad becomes a super- 60-second spot featuring a pint-sized Darth Vader who sur- expensive proposition. Among other points, the naysayers prises himself when he brings a Passat to life. After a heated assert that with costs so high, there is no reasonable hope internal debate over whether to release the spot early and for a decent return on the advertising investment. ruin the surprise factor, Volkswagen decided to risk it. The But supporters of Super Bowl advertising have plenty decision paid off as "The Force" racked up more than 12 of evidence on their side. For starters, the big game is always million views and became the most buzzed about commer- the most-watched television event of the year. In 2015, cial on Twitter before the kickoff of the Big Game. All that Super Bowl XLIX drew more than 114.4 million viewers, pregame buzz helped propel the ad to finish out the year as making it the largest TV event in history. In addition to the most viral auto video, with over 63 million views. More important, Volkswagen reported its biggest increase in U.S. sheer numbers of viewers, the Super Bowl stands alone as sales in nearly 40 years and was confident that its Super the TV program during which the ads draw as much or Bowl investment more than paid for itself. more viewership than the program itself. With that consid Volkswagen's success fuelled a pregame media frenzy eration, one recent study asserted that for consumer-pack- for the 2012 Super Bowl, with 34 out of 54 advertisers aged-goods firms, the return on investment (ROI) for one posting their ads online in some form in the weeks leading Super Bowl ad is equivalent to that of 250 regular TV ads. up to the game. Referring to this trend, one media buyer Although there's no easy answer to the question of the said, "This is the first Super Bowl where social media has value of the Super Bowl as an advertising venue, the been an integral part of marketers' plans," suggesting that debates of the past miss a key factor that has evolved over this is happening because marketers realize "you can get the last few years. These days, the Super Bowl is merely a more bang for your buck." Now almost all the ads that air gateway to something much bigger . Before the game during the Super Bowl are viewable online in one form or begins and long after it's over, ad critics, media pundits, another prior to the date of the big game. "So many peo- ple are launching commercials early to feed the beast," says and consumers are previewing and reviewing, speculating, and rating the commercials. No longer do advertisers cre- a media analyst. For Super Bowl XLIX, ad previews were available for ate an ad that will run for one 30-second time slot. They ads from all different types of companies and generated over create a broader campaign that revolves around the Super 35 million views before the game. A newcomer to Super Bowl ad, with strategies that include tactics for before, Bowl advertising, "Avocado's from Mexico" explained the during , and after the game . origin of Mexican avocados: as a first-round draft pick. Released two days before the game, the ad generated over 1 BEFORE THE GAME million views on YouTube and has since generated more For many years, advertisers have recognized the potential for than 1.1 billion media impressions with its original and water cooler buzz about ads following the Super Bowl. As seven follow-up ads. It was also rated as the most loved online video became prevalent, the focus turned to creating Super Bowl ad as measured by positive Web sentiment. an ad with the potential to go viral. But in the past few years, But there's more than one way to measure ad success. social media and mobile communications have changed the Social media analytics company General Sentiment puts a Bame once again. The previous rule of thumb was to build dollar amount on this pregame ad screening. Its metric- on for ads by keeping them secret and unveiling called Impact Media Value-is a measure of consumer 503 them during the Super Bowl. But then some advertisers