While the battle on the field between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs is the main draw for football fans across America and the world during this Sunday’s Super Bowl, there will be millions of eyes glued to the screen during the action that happens in between timeouts of the game — the commercials. Always a big-budget affair (commercials for this year’s game cost about $7 million for a 30-second television spot), Super Bowl ads often roll out new products to the masses or play on nostalgia and pop culture as part of the promotional strategy.

We spoke with Jamie Gilpin, chief marketing officer at Sprout Social, about what to watch for during this year’s slate of Super Bowl commercials and any larger trends she’s looking at ahead of the big game.

New school ads vs. old school strategies

In recent years, we’ve seen a boom in newer tech products getting advertisements during the big game. A great example of that is last year’s Amazon Echo ad, the most expensive in Super Bowl history, which cost $26 million for 130 seconds of airtime. Although we’ll still see new products and services touted during the game, according to Gilpin, we should look for brands to take an approach that centers on nostalgia and old-school advertising tactics. She pointed to last year’s ads for cryptocurrency, including Coinbase’s ad with a floating QR code box on the screen, as a coming-out party for the digital financial tech (albeit before the more recent collapse of these assets), with changes in strategy in store for Super Bowl LVII.

“This year, we’re seeing a lot of traditional tactics from mainstay big game brands that leverage nostalgic cultural moments. Whether it’s enlisting the help of iconic celebrities, pop-culture throwbacks, or a perceived publicity stunt, brands are showing they’re willing to spend big for a shot at a memorable in-game moment,” Gilpin said.

This trend of leaning toward nostalgia and identifiable cultural icons matches with what we’ve seen previewed ahead of the game, with  Walter White’s return and a Hellmann’s commercial about food waste featuring celebrities with food-related names. Sometimes, sticking with the tried and true proves to be the way to go.

The can’t-miss commercials

It seems that at every Super Bowl party, there are a few commercials that the entire room excitedly waits for and talks about for the rest of the evening once it airs. According to Gilpin, it all comes down to audience engagement, citing an analysis by Sprout Social of Super Bowl ads ahead of the game that revealed some brands leaning into nostalgia are garnering major engagement.

“Engagement is the name of the game when it comes to social media chatter, and we’ve seen two brands, in particular, this year stand out from this standpoint — PopCorners (the Walter White ad) and Rakuten. We conducted a social media conversation analysis of big game ads and found that these two brands have driven nearly 50,000 engagements since January 8, while the average ad is getting a few hundred,” Gilpin said.

She also added that the aforementioned nostalgia and the cultural zeitgeist are playing a big role in the buzz. A great example of this is the upcoming Planters ad with Mr. Peanut, in which he’s subjected to a comedy roast. (Get it? Peanut…roast…I’ll see myself out.)

“What’s interesting is how both brands are leveraging a similar tactic this year — iconic pop cultural throwbacks — with PopCorners paying homage to ‘Breaking Bad’ and Rakuten referencing ‘Clueless,’” Gilpin said. “We’re also seeing celebrities generating strong engagement for brands like Maya Rudolph with M&M’s and Jack Harlow with Doritos. Leveraging celebrity and pop culture are great ways for commercials to have broad appeal, so it’s no surprise to see some of the most talked about ads touting these elements.”

The importance of social

Even though the main advertisements for the game will be spread to the masses over television (and streaming) airwaves, it would be remiss to not mention the impact social media will have on how fans interact with the advertising during the game. Gilpin said that social is a critical component of keeping the conversation about the brands going long after the commercial airs.

“Across the top 10 brand commercials that are driving the most social chatter, there have been nearly 70,000 social engagements, reflecting the excitement and hype we’re seeing leading up to the big game,” she said.

Gilpin added that the brands that want to make the most of their campaigns should not only have social media integration but should also put social at the forefront.

“The big game is a marquee moment for brands to do something memorable and make a statement, but without social media, the game can be just that — a single moment,” Gilpin said.

On top of keeping the momentum rolling after a Super Bowl ad, social can also help generate strong connections with the viewing public, which can in turn create a brand-new customer base.

“Social media is where brands can turn moments into strong connections with their audience. Social allows brands to foster deep, meaningful, 1:1 relationships with their audience that will last far beyond the airing of their big game ad,” Gilpin said.

Sean Devlin is an editor at Ragan Communications and PR Daily. In his spare time, he enjoys Philly sports, a good pint and ’90s trivia night. He will not be watching the commercials during this year’s Super Bowl, as he will be rooting too hard for the Eagles to win to notice any of them. As always, he says, Go Birds.

The post What to watch for during 2023’s Super Bowl commercials appeared first on PR Daily.

National Football League athletes aren’t alone in preparing for Super Bowl LIII on Feb. 3.

Many marketers are warming up in anticipation of grabbing the attention of the millions of viewers who will tune in to watch the New England Patriots play the Los Angeles Rams.

However, those efforts might not lead to enough sales to justify the cost of an ad spot during the big game, so marketers are employing additional stunts and tactics to stand out.

MediaPost.com reported:

… [A survey by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics] found that 76% of viewers see the commercials as entertainment, and only 10% say they are influenced to make a purchase. The ads carry more weight among younger viewers, however.

Seventeen percent of respondents ages 18 to 24 say the Super Bowl commercials influence them to buy, and 16% are prompted to search online for more information.

Bleacher Report wrote:

As always, the commercials themselves are mind-blowing affairs from a financial sense, with Tanya Dua of Business Insider noting a 30-second spot this year costs more than $5 million.

Despite the spots coming at such a hefty price, companies will still commit further expenditure on a preview for the ad itself.

Here are several ways marketers are making the most of their big moments before kickoff:

M&M’s, Avocados from Mexico, and Burger King tease their ads

Several marketers released teasers for their full game-day commercials.

M&M’s teaser ad features Christina Applegate:

Avocados from Mexico’s teasers feature Kristin Chenoweth and play on a campaign that features dogs helping their humans get avocado treats:

Dogs are training us with treats made with delicious, healthy & always-in-season #AvocadosFromMexico because they know we do anything for always-worth-it avocados. See their recipes & RT to enter a #Sweepstakes for a chance to win avos for a year & a dog-friendly trip! #SB53

— Avocados From Mexico (@AvosfromMexico) January 22, 2019

Burger King released several short teaser ads, which show its mascot preparing for the brand’s big moment during the game:

Adweek reported:

As part of the campaign, and likely to build on the mystery of the brand’s teaser, Burger King has partnered with DoorDash to offer consumers Mystery Boxes for $10 from participating restaurants.

“This limited-edition Mystery Box creates a unique, engaging and innovative experience, and we are excited to launch it nationwide for our customers,” said Christopher Payne, DoorDash’s chief operating officer, in a statement.

These teasers can boost brand chatter and attract consumers’ attention before the Super Bowl, which can ultimately help make the expensive game-day slot more effective.

Budweiser and Verizon turn to social-good initiatives

Budweiser’s Super Bowl commercial sports a dog (which has worked well for the beer brand in the past), but this year, the canine is part of a message about Budweiser’s corporate social responsibility efforts.

The Washington Post reported:

This year’s 45-second spot sends a message about the future and the need for clean energy options. Oh, there’s a Dalmatian and the noble Clydesdales tugging a wagonload of brew. And audio of a great song is laid over it. But, wait, what is that? It’s Bob Dylan’s 1962 song “Blowin’ in the Wind,” which sends a message about war and peace and freedom. And, as the camera pulls back, the viewer sees that it’s wind turbines that cause the dog’s ears to flap.

Our 2019 Super Bowl commercial is bigger than beer. It’s a story about our future. We’re proud to announce that we’re now brewed with 100% renewable electricity from wind power. #ThisBudsForYou pic.twitter.com/lDYoHTADOI

— Budweiser (@budweiserusa) January 23, 2019

“Budweiser entered the conversation about immigration during the Super Bowl two years ago and it hopes to leave politics out of the matter this year,” The Washington Post reported.

Verizon also touted a social message for its Super Bowl ad: recognizing first responders and their impact on people’s lives.

Adweek reported:

“One of the things that we noticed, thinking about our focus on first responders is that there are a lot of NFL players who wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for first responders that saved their lives,” Diego Scotti, Verizon CMO, said.

The commercial is only part of the story Verizon will share.

MarketingDive.com reported:

Another way Verizon is going deeper with its marketing for Super Bowl LIII is through long-form digital content that might give the campaign a longer shelf life. Along with the in-game spot, the brand will premiere a 30-minute documentary on Feb. 3 directed by Hollywood heavyweight Peter Berg, known for films like “Friday Night Lights,” “Lone Survivor” and “Patriot’s Day.” The piece will spotlight the stories of specific first responders in a way that breaks from how Verizon has done things in the past, according to McKechnie.

Commercials focused on societal issues or social initiatives, especially if they’re woven into a brand’s storytelling efforts, can help build favor and brand loyalty among consumers in ways that straight marketing messages or a wacky commercial cannot.

Devour embraces weird marketing with ‘food porn’

That’s not to say that several organizations won’t air odd Super Bowl ads to garner attention.

Devour, a Kraft Heinz frozen food line, posted to YouTube the full version of its risqué Super Bowl commercial about “food porn”:

The game-day commercial will only be 30 seconds and will not have the word “porn” in it, but it should still raise viewers’ eyebrows.

Sports Illustrated reported:

The brand’s first-ever Super Bowl spot tells the story of a woman who is struggling with her boyfriend’s addiction to “frozen food porn.” She says her boyfriend can’t stop watching, eating, and at one point even smelling Devour at home, in the office and in his garage.

Devour has been known for more raunchy marketing campaigns. In 2016, the group launched the tagline, “Food You Want to Fork.” This year’s capitalizes on the popular “food porn” on social media, where people get their hearts racing by looking at photos of decadent meals.

Coca-Cola is taking advantage of its slot before kickoff on Feb. 3.

Variety reported:

Coca-Cola intends to run a 60-second commercial just before kickoff that burnishes themes of diversity and inclusion, says Stuart Kronauge, senior vice president of marketing for Coca-Cola North America and president of its sparkling beverages business unit. “We have a long history of using the country’s biggest advertising stage to share a message of unity and positivity, especially at times when our nation feels divided,” he said in a statement. “This year, we decided to place our ad just before the national anthem as Americans come together in their living rooms to remind everyone that ‘together is beautiful.”

Kia and Skittles stay on the sidelines

Instead of fighting for attention, several companies are bowing out from a big-game spot entirely.

Kia might grab positive PR for putting its marketing money into a fund for college.

Bleacher Report wrote:

In the innovation department, Kia is taking the lead after announcing during the NFC title game it will forgo using big-time celebrities in its Super Bowl ad, instead using the money to form a scholarship fund.

Skittles won’t be anywhere in attendance during the Super Bowl. Instead, it’s debuting a musical on Broadway during the game.

TribLive reported:

Skittles figured the best ad is no ad at all. Instead, the candy company has opted to take their act to Broadway. For real: “Skittles Commercial: The Broadway Musical” is set for a one-show-only performance at The Town Hall at 1 p.m. Feb. 3 in New York City.

Skittles is donating ticket proceeds to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

Which of these efforts stand out to you, PR Daily readers? What additional ads have you seen leading up to the Super Bowl?

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